Numerical Analysis of the Relationship between Friction Coefficient and Repose Angle of Blast Furnace Raw Materials by Discrete Element Method

In recent years, the discrete element method (DEM) has been widely used to study the factors affecting the repose angle and calibrate particle parameters for simulations. In this paper, DEM is used to study the effects of the coefficient of rolling and static friction of pellet, sinter and coke particles on the repose angle. By comparison of the results of simulations and physical experiments, the coefficients of rolling and static friction suitable for simulation work are determined. The results demonstrate that repose angle increases with the coefficient of rolling and static friction, but the rate of increase gradually decays, when the coefficient of rolling friction exceeds 0.4 or the coefficient of static friction exceeds 0.35. The coefficient of static friction has a greater impact on the repose angle than the coefficient of rolling friction. The rougher of the base surface, the larger the repose angle of the formed particle piled. It can be concluded that appropriate coefficient of rolling and static friction for simulations can be obtained by the outlined procedure.