Simulation of particle deformation within a compressed packed bed

Deformation arising from softening-melting conditions in the blast furnace has provided a significant challenge to numerical modelling. In this paper, a sub-particle discrete element approach is used to simulate a bed of particles deforming under load at a constant temperature. Effects of temperature on material properties are established through the use of simulations of material under compression, with the results compared to experimental data. This was used as a starting point for the packed bed simulations at different temperatures, with the ratios between parameters maintained. Porosity within the final bed was used as a measure of the deformation, and compared to previous low temperature experimental work. The nature of the modelling technique allowed for visual analysis of the deformation of individual macro-particles within the packed bed. Numerical results for the stabilised final porosity were comparable for a variety of loads for a given set of parameters demonstrating that this technique is suitable for modelling plastically deformable granular materials.