Advanced Powder Technology, Vol.15, No.6, 673-686, 2004
Effect of moisture content on the convection motion of powders in a vibrated bed
The cohesive forces between grains, such as capillary forces. van der Waals forces and electrostatic forces, play significant roles in the motion of particulate solids. This paper intends to investigate the influence of moisture content on the convection motion of wet granular materials in a vibrated bed. The rising velocity of a larger bead in the background of smaller beads in a vibrated bed was used to characterize the strength of the convection cells. It was found that the moisture content in the bed influenced the rising velocity of the larger bead. Under some specific vibration conditions. the rising velocity of the larger bead increased with the addition of a small amount of water. In these cases, the small amount of water produced a lubrication effect which resulted in the enhancement of the convection motion of the bed. With greater amount of water. the rising velocity of the lamer bead decreased due to the viscous force and liquid bridge force between the water and heads.