Study on vibration conveyance of granular materials

The flow of granular materials on the vibratory conveyor is studied both experimentally and analytically. The vibratory conveyor consists essentially of a near-horizontal conveying vessel which is undergoing translational harmonic vibrations in a direction to the horizontal. The motion of individual particles contacting each other is solved by the discrete element method proposed by Cundall. The Normal component of the contact force acting on particle is firstly given by the sum of the forces due to the spring and the dash-pot. Then, the tangential component of the contact force applies the Coulomb law of friction. It is shown that the mean velocity of transport of granular materials depends on the frequency and amplitude of the vibratory input as well as various physical parameters. Also, the numerically observed flow properties agree quantitatively with experimental results.