An efficient bond model for particle adhesion simulation in advanced manufacturing

Resumo

The aim of the present work is to investigate the underlying structure of most common bond models
used in particle dynamics, with an aim to enable their use in additive manufacturing simulation. In this context, in
advanced manufacturing processes proper adhesion between particles requires certain stability requirements to be
satisfied. Conversely, erroneous agglomeration resulting from particle adhesion may affect the particle-size spatial
distribution and thereby compromise the mechanical properties of the manufactured piece. These constitute some
of the reasons why particle adhesion continues to be a particularly important phenomenon in a wide range of
engineering applications. In this work, we propose a simple bond model taking into account such considerations,
with which we are able to capture inter-particle bonding very straightforwardly once a given bonding criterion is
met. The derived stability conditions establish recommendations that can help the selection of proper parameter
values (such as, but not only, the strength of the bond) for most common bond models, thereby guiding (or even
avoiding) burdensome problem-dependent calibration. Numerical examples are provided to validate our scheme
and explore its outcomes.