Shear Flow of Wet, Flexible Fibers using the Discrete Element Method

Shear flow of wet and flexible fibers is investigated numerically by means of the Discrete Element Method (DEM). The formation of agglomerates in dilute shear flows is analyzed via the size and coordination number of the agglomerates. A bond number (Bo) is proposed to describe the relative effect of the liquid-bridge force to the particle inertia. It is found that the sizes of large agglomerates in dilute shear flow are determined by the Bond number. In addition, the effects of particle aspect ratio and fiber flexibility on the agglomerate size and coordination number are examined. For the dense flow of wet fibers, the effect of the liquid-bridge interaction on the shear stresses is examined.