Realistic Simulations of Comminution and Degradation During Handling Using the Tavares Breakage Model in EDEM

Several approaches exist to deploy breakage in association to DEM. Among them, one that is particularly suited for simulations involving large particle populations is the so-called particle replacement. This technique relies on instantaneously replacing each particle by a set of virtual fragments in the simulation environment every time a failure criterion is met. The presentation shows one powerful approach that uses this technique and that is now available in EDEM. This approach, called Tavares Breakage Model, consists of several submodels that describe various aspects of particle breakage, allowing for very realistic descriptions of proportion of particles broken in a system of interest and their size distribution, besides weakening. The model background is presented and a number of applications of practical relevance in industry are illustrated. The path forward to make simulations even more practical and realistic is then analyzed.