Abstract
Both rigid and non-rigid particles were used to investigate the axial size segregation in a rotating drum. The effects of the rotational speed, the fill level, and the particle size ratio were evaluated. When rigid glass particles with diameters 0.35 mm or 0.70 mm were mixed with large particles with a size ratio 2, 3, or 4, the width of the segregation band was not affected by the rotational speed at levels of fills of 30% and 40%. There exists a size ratio where the dimensionless band width has a minimum value. The value is approximately 3. The existence of this value was attributed to the diffusion and inertia mechanisms of the motion of a single particle. The dimensionless band width is a function of the rotational speed when 1 mm rigid glass particles are mixed with 2 mm rigid glass beads.
A comparison was made on the influence of the fill level on the dimensionless band width using both rigid and non-rigid particles. Rigid and non-rigid particles show difference dependence on the level of fill. The dimensionless band width increases with the increase of the level of fill using non-rigid rubber particles (1 mm: 2 mm) at all rotational speeds. Whereas the dimensionless band width decreases with the increase of the level of fill when rigid glass particles (1 mm: 2 mm) are used at all rotational speeds.
