Abstract
To optimize a shape of hopper which is widely used in various industries, we developed a particle-swarm optimization (PSO) method with discrete-element method (DEM) simulations of powder discharge: DEM-PSO. We determined reasonable PSO parameters (number of PSO agents and weight coefficient) for the hopper shape optimization problem by parametric studies: 10 for number of PSO agents and 0.5 for weight coefficient. An effective shape of hoppers was uniquely obtained from the DEM-PSO analysis, even though we used random and irregular shapes of hoppers in initial state of DEM-PSO analysis. Also, we confirmed that the optimized hopper shape discharged powder quickly compared with conventional conical-shaped hopper.
