DEM study of microstructural effects in friction of wheat on corrugated steel surface

In the reported study, discrete element method simulations of a shearing process of wheat grains on galvanized corrugated sheet have been performed. Coefficients of grain-wall friction estimated from simulations were found in reasonable agreement with experimental coefficients. Mode of deformation observed on cross section of frozen experimental samples was properly reproduced in simulations. The simulations have shown that for lower normal load and shearing velocity the deformation takes place in the whole volume of the sample. For the highest velocity, material undergoes shear deformation (plastic behavior) in the layer adjacent to motionless cover, while the layer adjacent to moving corrugated surface remains stiff. Mobilization of friction increases with the deformation, resulting in increasing number of sliding contacts.