Breakage Strength of Wood Sawdust Pellets: Measurements and Modelling

Autor: Józef Horabik, Maciej Bańda, Grzegorz Józefaciuk, Agnieszka Adamczuk, Cezary Polakowski, Mateusz Stasiak, Piotr Parafiniuk, Joanna Wiącek, Rafał Kobyłka, Marek Molenda
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Materials, Vol 14, Iss 12, p 3273 (2021)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1996-1944
DOI: 10.3390/ma14123273
Popis: Wood pellets are an important source of renewable energy. Their mechanical strength is a crucial property. In this study, the tensile strength of pellets made from oak, pine, and birch sawdust with moisture contents of 8% and 20% compacted at 60 and 120 MPa was determined in a diametral compression test. The highest tensile strength was noted for oak and the lowest for birch pellets. For all materials, the tensile strength was the highest for a moisture content of 8% and 120 MPa. All pellets exhibited a ductile breakage mode characterised by a smooth and round stress–deformation relationship without any sudden drops. Discrete element method (DEM) simulations were performed to check for the possibility of numerical reproduction of pelletisation of the sawdust and then of the pellet deformation in the diametral compression test. The pellet breakage process was successfully simulated using the DEM implemented with the bonded particle model. The simulations reproduced the results of laboratory testing well and provided deeper insight into particle–particle bonding mechanisms. Cracks were initiated close to the centre of the pellet and, as the deformation progressed, they further developed in the direction of loading.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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