Discover Newton DEM Software
Newton Overview
A powerful and flexible simulation tool for modeling granular material flow and equipment interaction with unmatched accuracy.
Newton is a general purpose Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulation package used to quickly and accurately model three-dimensional behavior of granular flow. A variety of constitutive models have been included to model a wide range of material properties including wet, sticky, cohesive material. Material degradation, surface wear, impact damage, energy dissipation, and other fundamental parameters can easily be analyzed.
Newton is extremely flexible and can handle a wide variety of material properties and geometries including conveyor transfer chutes, apron feeders, chain feeders, bucket elevators, and more. It is developed and maintained by the engineering group at AC-Tek.
Simulating Bulk Solids with Precision
Granular Flow Modeling
- The proper modeling of granular flow using discontinuum mechanics is one of the most significant scientific advancements in the mining industry. The Discrete Element Method (DEM) is the name given to the solution process by which the macroscopic behavior of a system is determined by modeling its individual components.
- In bulk solids handling, this involves the mathematical modeling of hundreds of thousands (often millions) of individual particles. Essentially, the software repeatedly solves Isaac Newton’s equations of motion for each particle over very small time intervals.
- With the tremendous advances in computing power over the past two decades, the DEM process is literally solved with a “brute force” approach. Advanced constitutive equations have now been implemented which allow accurate modeling of both cohesive and adhesive forces, allowing for the simulation of materials ranging from hard, dry lumps, to very sticky, and/or slimy material.
From Mining to Manufacturing, Simulating
Material Flow with Precision
Expanding Applications
in Industry
- However, the DEM method does not replace good engineering design and analysis; it should be applied and used no differently than any of the other “tools” an engineer has in their toolbox. It must be combined with good engineering knowledge, design experience, and a firm understanding of the characteristics of the material being conveyed.
- The total flexibility of the DEM method is one of its most tantalizing qualities. By correctly modeling the small scale individual properties of a system, its global behavior may be analyzed and improved.
- The potential applications in the mining industry alone are huge, from conveyor belt transfer chutes, to apron feeders, to silos and augers. The DEM method has also been recognized in the manufacturing and pharmaceutical industries.
- AC-Tek is a leader in this rapidly-advancing technology. Our engineers and software developers have devoted an enormous amount of effort into developing the “Newton” DEM simulation software.
- Additionally, we have published several papers in this field, and have been involved with many projects using the DEM method.
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Particle Creation & Material Sets
From Spheres to Complex Shapes for Precise Simulations
Particle & Cluster Generation
- The first step in DEM modeling is the creation of individual particles and groups of particles. The most basic DEM particle is a sphere. Spheres are used because they are very computationally efficient.
- Clusters may be generated using the built in generation tool, shown in the image at right, or by manually specifying the size and location of each sphere in the cluster. An unlimited number of cluster shapes can be created, and then scaled up or down to meet the desired material size distribution curves.
- Each set has been optimized in shape and size to be computationally efficient thereby resulting in fast simulation times. Alternatively, the user can manually create a material set by specifying which clusters to use. Within a single material set, any cluster can be included any number of times.
- Furthermore, cluster sets may be imported and exported to and from either a CAD file or an Excel spreadsheet, allowing the user maximum flexibility. AC-Tek’s Newton developers are continuously utilizing customer feedback to guide the addition of new cluster and material set features.
Optimizing Cluster Selection for Efficient Simulations
Material Set Creation & Size Distribution
- Once the fundamental cluster shapes have been created, the user can quickly and easily generate a size distribution curve based on the real material.
- Various distribution curves are available (Rosin & Rammler for example).
- A material set can be automatically generated from the known size distribution. Newton also contains several built-in material sets. The user can easily select one of these sets from a drop down list.
- Each set has been optimized in shape and size to be computationally efficient thereby resulting in fast simulation times. Alternatively, the user can manually create a material set by specifying which clusters to use. Within a single material set, any cluster can be included any number of times.
- Each specific cluster (even different instances of the same cluster) can have a different size, and the user can designate the number clusters of that type per 10,000 clusters that will appear when the material is generated.
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Boundary Geometry & Properties
Importing and Customizing Geometry for Accurate Modeling
Creating Simulation Boundaries
- The next step in using the DEM method is to create the bounding geometry for the simulation. Typically, this includes a feed conveyor belt, a receiving belt, and the transfer chute.
- Newton can also be used to simulate apron feeders, augers, and silos.
- Historically, simple mathematical equations for lines and curved surfaces were used in DEM modeling. Other methods involved fixing or “gluing” particles to specific locations in space.
- Newton allows 3D surfaces to be directly imported from a variety of CAD programs. Importing geometries from third-party CAD software allows the user to save time and generate almost any required geometry.
- Each bounding surface can have unique material properties such as friction coefficients and cohesive properties.
- Additionally, boundaries may be given a surface velocity or physical movement in the form of translation, rotation, and linear or rotational cyclic motion.
Streamlining Simulation for Mining Applications
Automated Conveyor and Feed Setup in Newton
- Newton has been customized for the mining industry. Loading stations and conveyors can be automatically created by simply entering basic geometry information and the location of each belt.
- Newton can automatically generate up to three independent feed conveyor belts for a single simulation.
- Each belt can be assigned custom start, acceleration, deceleration, stop, and restart times. This allows the user to simulate chute buildup during emergency stops, and then analyze how the transfer chute will respond when the conveyor restarts.
- These features allow the engineer to focus on the detail engineering (e.g. transfer chute design), rather than getting bogged down creating belt feed points and other required DEM details.
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Triangle and Layer Movement
Modeling Complex Mechanical Movements with Newton
Simulating Dynamic Motion
- Newton also allows boundary surfaces to have movement, such as linear or rotational motion. This movement is necessary for simulating things like gates, moving trolleys, truck dumps, and rotating hoods.
- Newton can even combine these movements to simulate an object that is moving and rotating simultaneously, such as a dragline bucket.
- Newton has been used to simulate bucket wheels as well as vibrating equipment.
- Newton allows 3D surfaces to be directly imported from a variety of CAD programs. Importing geometries from third-party CAD software allows the user to save time and generate almost any required geometry.
- To simulate vibrating equipment, Newton can give linear or rotational (circular or elliptic) cyclic motion to boundary surfaces.
- The user need only specify the cycle time, and linear distance or rotation radius for the cyclic motion.
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Material Generation for Simulation
Combining Geometry with Material Sets and Custom Drop Methods
Material Generation Setup in Newton
- Once the geometry and material sets have been entered, the two must be combined together. The user need only specify the material set, belt tonnage, and generation time.
- Newton allows for up to five different material generation locations. Each location can have different material sets and tonnages.
- Additionally, material sets may be released in layers, or as blocks of material. Various generation methods can be selected depending on the simulation needs.
- In addition to the generation method, the user can also choose the drop shape for the material.
- Currently, Newton can generate material as rectangles, circles, ellipses, and annuli.
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Material Properties
Simulating Realistic Flow Behavior Through Property Adjustment
Defining Material Properties in Newton
- The final step is to define the specific material properties to be simulated. Newton allows the user to define: coefficient of friction for particle-to-particle and particle-to-surface contact, rotational dampening, spring stiffness, liquid bridge cohesive forces, and much more.
- By varying the material properties, it is possible to simulate a range of conditions, from very dry free flowing material to highly cohesive sticky material.
- Typically, a transfer chute will be modeled at two different friction and cohesion levels. These two levels represent the best and worst case material conditions.
- The free flowing low friction case will highlight areas of high impact wear and/or material load centering problems.
- The high friction and more cohesive condition will show flow buildup and chute blockage problems.
Adapting DEM to Real-World Material Behavior
The Power of Simulation in Variable Conditions
- When modeling any complex problem on a computer, a firm understanding of the real-world parameters is necessary to accurately represent and predict the system behavior.
- In many applications, the material properties can vary significantly over a given time frame, such as winter versus summer conditions.
- At first, this may seem to be a major obstacle when trying to predict material behavior. However, this is perhaps the greatest strength of computer modeling.
- For any given geometry, a wide range of material properties—such as friction coefficients, moisture content, and cohesive properties—can be modeled and analyzed.
- Various size distributions, and even completely different material types, can be simulated.
- Trouble areas can be spotted, and the design can be modified before ever leaving the drafting table. This is a major advantage over the historical practice of trial and error.
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Running the Simulation
Performance, Runtime, and Recovery Features in Newton
Running and Managing DEM Simulations
- Once the simulation parameters have been defined, it’s time for the computer to go to work. DEM simulations require anywhere from 10 minutes to several days, or even weeks, to solve a problem.
- Advances in industrial computing power are continually lowering the time required for a simulation.
- The number and size of particles in a given simulation are the primary factors that determine simulation run time. As a rule of thumb, a typical workstation computer is capable of solving a reasonable flow simulation in 12–48 hours.
- By default, Newton saves a special restart file after every 2 seconds of simulation. This file contains all simulation data up to that point.
- If there is a power failure or the simulation needs to be stopped for any reason, only a few minutes (or maybe a few hours) of computation time is lost.
- The simulation can be restarted with just a few button clicks.
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Computer Hardware
How Newton Leverages Modern Hardware for Faster Simulations
Maximizing Performance with Multi-Core Processing
- Simulation time is highly dependent on computer hardware. Fortunately, the computer industry continues to develop and improve multi-core processor technology.
- Newton has been fully optimized to take advantage of multi-core workstations. Simulations are divided into regions, and the equations for each region are solved simultaneously on different processing cores.
- This results in vastly lower computation times. Newton can be run in 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 16-core multithreading modes.
- New processing modes are continually added as new technology becomes available.
- A simulation running with eight separate threads shows particles colored according to thread. The black particles between the color groups represent the cleanup thread, which is updated last at each time step.
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Simulation Results
Tracking Forces, Flow, and Wear for Design Optimization
Analyzing Simulation Results with Newton
- Newton records all important results of the simulation, including particle velocity, particle-to-particle force and work data, particle-to-surface force and work data, and flow data (t/h).
- Because of the way it is programmed, the DEM method lends itself very well to predicting the wear on liners, belts, and other surfaces.
- Using Newton, the engineer can qualitatively compare two similar designs, selecting the geometry that provides the minimum amount of wear, dust generation, and material abrasion to optimize the entire design.
- Wear analysis in Newton includes impact and abrasive wear for each distinct layer in the model, which can be analyzed separately.
- Wear analyses can also be incorporated into animation files that are created from the simulation.
Tools for Interpreting Material Flow and Geometry in Newton
Visualizing DEM Simulation Results
- Visualization of the simulation results is a critical component of DEM. The engineer must be able to understand the material flow.
- Newton has incorporated multiple tools so that the geometry and material flow can be viewed in diverse ways. This includes coloring the particles uniformly, or by cluster type, velocity, fixed Z-elevation, instantaneous elevation, and more.
- Specific cluster types in the flow can even be highlighted while making all other particles transparent. This allows the user to track a specific type of cluster through the simulation.
- Boundary geometries can be represented as solid, transparent, or wireframe surfaces. They can also be colored according to wear and degradation from particle impact and abrasion.
Using DEM to Identify Issues and Improve Efficiency
Force Analysis and Design Optimization
- Boundary surface forces can also be recorded. In some cases, parallel and perpendicular forces on components like receiving belts can reveal problems such as off-centering forces.
- An off-centering force, indicated by a non-zero perpendicular load, could potentially push the belt off-track if not corrected.
- Sensitivity studies are also possible and help the designer understand how various changes in the design will affect material flow and other parameters.
- The use of DEM modeling allows a design to be optimized well before it is sent to manufacture or installed on site.
- This results in substantially lower project costs and fewer post-manufacture redesigns.
