Impact breakage of spherical granules: Experimental study and DEM simulation

A single impact granule test has been used to study the breakage behaviour of granules. The impact experiments are performed for three spherical granules (γ-Al2O3, synthetic zeolite Köstrolith® and sodium benzoate) at different velocities (from 10 to 50 m/s). The elastic and plastic breakage behaviours during the impact are explained with the help of SEM image analysis of fragments. It has been shown that the breakage behaviour is strongly dependent on the microscopic and macroscopic structure of the granules. The breakage probability is approximated by Weibull statistics. A two-dimensional discrete element simulation of the granule–wall impact at different velocities has been performed to investigate the breakage behaviour of the granules.