Computer Modeling of a Packed Fibrous Bed

摘要

Computer modeling of the packing of spherical (or near-spherical) particles has been usedextensively in the past for many purposes. Many of these studies have used DEM techniqueswhere the equation of motion of each particle is integrated over time to find its final position in theassembly (for example [1], [2]). This paper presents a new approach to modeling packing thatrelies on the minimization of the gravitational potential and Hertzian-strain energy of an assembly.The study begins with the development of the technique using mono-size and binary mixtures ofspherical particles. This approach is then applied to modeling the packing of fibrous materials. Inthis case the method relies on the minimization of bending and axial strain energies in addition togravitational potential and contact laws.