https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202124909012
Wet rolling stones: Growth of a granular aggregate under flow
1
Surface du Verre et Interfaces, UMR 125, CNRS/Saint-Gobain, 39 quai Lucien Lefranc, 93303 Aubervilliers, France
2
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA
* e-mail: pierre.jop@saint-gobain.com
Published online: 7 June 2021
Wet granulation processes can be driven from low to high water content. In this study, we consider the model situation of the growth of a single wet aggregate rolling in a dry granular flow inside a rotating drum. We measure the time evolution of its diameter for different grains and liquids, as well as various rotation rates of the drum. Using X-ray tomography, we are able to characterize the internal structure of the granular aggregate at different times during the process. We show that the growth rate of the aggregate can be related to the transport of the liquid inside the granule and the capture of grains. We propose a model to rationalize the maximum size of the aggregate and its growth rate.
A video is available at https://doi.org/10.48448/v299-px60
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2021
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
