ABSTRACT
Angle of repose of a pile of particles is influenced by many factors such as friction, size distribution, elasticity and shape. There have been significant research contributions made in this area; however, investigation of the effects of particle shape on the angle of repose is surprisingly underrepresented. We are conducting a series of 2D discrete particle simulations to systematically characterize the effects by employing a superquadric representation of particle shape. The two-dimensional superquadric function is capable of representing a wide range of particle shape from a star-like shape to a rectangle with rounded corners. We measure the angle of repose manifested by piles of different suprequadric particles in a rotating cylinder. At rotation rate of 0.25 rad/sec, the avalanches are intermittent enough so that we could clearly identify the maximum and minimum static angle of repose by measuring it just before and after a release of an avalanche accompanied by a large amount of kinetic energy release. Our preliminary simulation results indicate that the angle of repose increases as the particle shape deviates from circular to square keeping the same frictional contact.
