DEM study on the effect of pore characteristic on single particle crushing behavior of porous articles

This study aims to investigate the effect of pore characteristic on the single particle crushing behavior of porous particles. A series of discrete element simulations of single-particle crushing test were conducted on the porous particle modeled as an assembly of boned elementary blocks. The size of pores within numerical samples was assumed to follow a fractal distribution. The effects of pore characteristics on particle crushing strength and fragmentation were analyzed. Numerical results confirmed that the increasing porosity and fractal dimension of pore distribution can reduce its crushing strength and variability. Besides, three types of fragmentation patterns (brittle failure, similar brittle failure and ductile failure) were observed. As the porosity and fractal dimension increase, the fragmentation pattern transforms from 'brittle failure' and 'similar brittle failure' to 'ductile failure'. Based on the numerical results, an empirical equation was developed for the statistical crushing strength estimation of porous particles. Comparisons between the calculated and numerical results indicate that the proposed empirical equation could be applicable in characterizing the statistical crushing strength of porous particles.