A Study on the Physical Properties of Banana Straw Based on the Discrete Element Method

To improve the application of discrete element models (DEM) to the design of agricultural crushers, in this study a new highly accurate model is elaborated. The model takes into account the fiber structure, porous nature of the material and the leaf sheath coating structure. Dedicated experimental tests are conducted to determine the required "intrinsic" and basic contact parameters of the considered banana straw materials. A large number of bonding parameters are examined in relation to the particle aggregation model in order to characterize different actual banana straws. Using the particle surface energy contact model, the viscosity characteristics of the crushed material are determined together with the related stacking angle (considered as the main response factor). Through single factor experiment analysis, it is found that when the surface energy is 0.9 J center dot m-2, the relative error between simulations and physical experiments is 5.288%.