Breakage Models
Currently, two kinds of breakage models are available in Rocky DEM: The Ab-T10 model and the Tavares model. Both models preserve mass and volume.
Ab-T10 Breakage Model
Rocky DEM works with both a fracture subdivision algorithm and a breakage energy probability function, which itself is based upon a well-established model in the industry (JKMRC Ab-T10).
This breakage model treats every particle as a single entity that can be broken into fragments instantaneously based upon the breakage force and/or energy values defined.
Tavares Breakage Model
The Tavares breakage model is an extension of Rocky DEM’s original Ab-T10 breakage model. It has been validated via single-particle testing and the results have been documented in a number of peer-reviewed journal publications over the last 20 years.
This model focuses on fracture by low-energy stressing. This event is relevant for the simulation of a number of unit operations in particulate materials processing and handling, where particles are often subject to a complex series of loading events.
Tavares’s breakage model describes the progressive growth of crack-like damage that ultimately leads to the fracture of a particle under stresses significantly lower than those required for breakage in a first event.
