IMPEDANCE EFFECT OF BAFFLE PILES ON GRANULAR FLOW: A NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION USING COUPLED EULERIAN-LAGRANGIAN TECHNIQUE

A validated Coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian technique was used to study the impedance effect of baffle piles on granular behavior. This study focuses on the impact force acting on the rigid barrier and the baffle piles, the arrival time of the granular flow to the rigid barrier, and the variation of kinetic energy during the flow. The position of the baffle piles along the slope, the angle of the slope, and the shape of the baffle piles were considered in the study. Based on the results, it was found that the baffle piles can significantly reduce the impact force acting on the rigid barrier and delay the arrival time of the granular flow to the rigid barrier. It is also shown that the impedance effect of baffle piles increases with increasing the angle of the slope; however, on steep slopes, the baffle pile should be carefully considered so that the granular material does not fly and hit the rigid barrier directly.