DEM-FEM coupling simulations of the interactions between particles and screen surface of vibrating screen

Abstract

Discrete element method (DEM) was employed to model the particle-particle and particle-screen interactions. Spherical and non-spherical particles were also modelled to gain a more accurate simulation of screening. A virtual screening model and a three-dimensional geometry of a vibrating screen were set up to perform a simulation of screening process using DEM and a finite element analysis, respectively. DEM and finite element method (FEM) were coupled to present a simulation of the interactions between particles and screen surface in a virtual screening process. After launched this coupling, stress on the screen surface and deformation of screen surface were obtained. It turns out that this coupling method is feasible to predict stress distributions and deformation of screen surface, meanwhile, this method also provides a reference to those engineering problems which are hard to be analysed and solved with only FEM or DEM.