Development and its Application of A Digital Design Software Based on Discrete Element Method

Mechanical contact among and between particles of granular material flow and machine operating parts exist extensively in industrial and agriculture processing. In order to simulate and analyze the performance of granular material processing machine with complex structures and combined motion, a novel method of the discrete element method based on the CAD model of machine parts (DEMBCAD) is proposed. Based on DEMBCAD, an integrated design and analysis software (LSY) is developed, which includes an embodied module in the CAD environment for building a machine model, and a DEM analysis platform. The architecture and function of the software are introduced in this paper. The DEM boundary elements of operating parts are constructed in CAD environment. Some design examples of DEMBCAD in agricultural engineering are presented to test the feasibility and performance of the LSY software. DEMBCAD provides a new method for developing new products, and the information from DEMBCAD simulations is helpful for design and parameter optimization of the granular material processing machines.