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Volume 105
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Mixing performance for wet and sticky bulk materials in a vertical blender using DEM simulation
Jie Li a b, Yuanqiang Tan a b *, Shiyan Yan a b, Sunsheng Zhou a b, Jiangtao Zhang c
a Institute of Manufacturing Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, 361021, China
b Nan'an-HQU Institute of Stone Industry Innovations Technology, Quanzhou, 362342, China
c Henan Key Laboratory of Superhard Abrasives and Grinding Equipment, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
10.1016/j.partic.2025.08.004
Volume 105, October 2025, Pages 229-248
Received 29 June 2025, Revised 29 July 2025, Accepted 10 August 2025, Available online 20 August 2025, Version of Record 29 August 2025.
E-mail: tanyq@hqu.edu.cn
Highlights

• Impacts of moisture content,process parameters,and inclined angle on mixing performance were analyzed.

• Mixing mechanism i.e. predominance of forced convection in the mixing system persists was revealed.

• Empirical models for RSD,CN,and SI were developed which demonstrated predictive capability for mixing indices.

• Liquid bridge model was adopted to describe moisture transfer mechanism during mixing.


Abstract

Wet and sticky bulk materials exhibit poor flowability during the mixing process, which prevents adequate contact between dry and wet particles. This results in uneven moisture distribution and deterioration in the mixing system. To address these issues, the mixing process of viscous concrete was focused on a vertical blender. A comprehensive investigation into mixing mechanisms and particles flow patterns were conducted using the discrete element method (DEM). The accuracy of the contact parameters in DEM was calibrated through repose angle and validated by torques tested in a custom-built mixing platform. And then, the effects of moisture content, filling level, rotational speed, and inclined angle were systematically investigated with respect to key mixing metrics: the relative standard deviation (RSD), coordination number (CN), segregation index (SI) of wet particles, as well as liquid mass. The results indicated that when the moisture content is 8 %, filling level is 50 %, and rotational speed is more than 60 rpm, the CN and mixing efficiency are acceptable, and the RSD and SI are low, thereby improving the mixing quality. The convective motion was revealed as the dominant flow regime through statistical quantification of diffusion coefficients and Peclet numbers. Finally, Box-Behnken Design was employed to develop quadratic polynomial models for RSD, CN, and SI, which demonstrated strong accuracy in predicting mixing performance and enabled systematic optimization of critical process parameters.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Wet and sticky bulk materials; Mixing system; Discrete element method; Optimization
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