Diffusion modeling of bulk granular attrition

Abstract

A simple empirical model for bulk granular attrition is proposed and investigated in this paper. We attempt to model the attrition process that occurs in various types of experimental systems reported in the literature with a diffusion-type equation. The proposed empirical model is found to reproduce much of the experimentally observed behavior and our own numerical simulation results. This may suggest similarities in statistical characteristics or other fundamental properties between the process of bulk granular attrition and diffusion of material. A comparison of the model with the well-established Gwyn correlation may also provide insights on why such a power-law-type correlation has been generally successful in describing granular attrition behavior. © 2006 American Chemical Society.