Numerical determination of flow corrective inserts for granular materials in conical hoppers

The flow of granular materials in hoppers is studied. In industrial applica tions, inserts of various sizes and shapes are often used to improve the fl ow properties and get rid of undesirable effects such as material sticking to the walls, funnel flow, arching, etc. We study the case of inverted coni cal inserts in conical hoppers. In spite of the complexity of the phenomeno n as observed in practice, existing methods assume in general a radial stru cture of the stress and velocity fields. A new numerical approach to the pr oblem of designing "optimal" inserts is proposed and tested. It allows for non-purely radial solutions. General comments about the overall approach an d its relationship with experiments are offered. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.