Effect of particle shape on domino wave propagation: a perspective from 3D, anisotropic discrete element simulations

Abstract

A fundamental understanding of the underlying physics of granular systems is not only of academic interest, but is also relevant for industrial applications. One specific aspect that is currently only poorly understood is the effect of particle shape on the dynamics of such systems. In this work the effect of particle shape on domino wave propagation was studied using 3D, anisotropic discrete element simulations. The dominoes were modelled using the three-dimensional super-quadric equation and very good agreement between the intrinsic collision speeds predicted by the simulations and the corresponding experimental data was observed. Furthermore, the influence of particle blockiness on the collision dynamics of dominoes was investigated numerically using particle shapes ranging from ellipsoids to almost cuboid particles. It was found that the intrinsic collision speed increased with increasing particle blockiness. It was also shown that a higher initial contact point favours the transmission of kinetic energy in the direction of the wave propagation, leading to a higher intrinsic collision speed for dominoes of higher blockiness.