EDEM BulkSim is high-performance simulation software for use by engineers designing bulk materials handling equipment in mine operations such as conveyor transfer points.

At the centre of any DEM simulation is a material model that acts as the virtual representation of a real bulk material. This introductory tutorial will demonstrate how an EDEM Material Model can be created using the EDEM BulkSim Material Modeler. Once created, this EDEM Material Model will be saved to a material database where it can be used by design engineers for the assessment of transfer point performance.

The EDEM Material Model that will be created in this tutorial is intended for demonstration purposes only and is not based on calibration against real-world material behavior. As such, it should only be used as part of this tutorial and not applied to other simulations. For more information please see the Appendix at the end of this tutorial.

The focus of this tutorial is on:

• Introduction to the Material Modeler capability in EDEM BulkSim
  • Particle Shape Editor
  • Material Model Editor
• Material Database Location control
• Creation of shapes using the Particle Shape Editor
• Defining new EDEM Material Models using the Material Model Editor

The diagram below shows a schematic representation of the different components of an EDEM Material Model.