Semi-Mechanistic Modelling of Fracture Mechanisms of Engineered Artificial Minerals

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Carsten Schilde
• Subject Area: Mechanical Process Engineering
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 470554192

Understanding the micron-scale fracture behaviour of metallurgical slags is a prerequisite for en-abling innovative recycling processes and the production of engineered artificial minerals (EnAM particles). The aim is to convert slags into EnAM particles enriched with valuable raw materials, which can then be recovered through downstream processes such as comminution and classifi-cation. The focus of this project is the comminution of EnAM particles in the micron size range, where the transition from elastic to plastic material and from multi-phase to single-phase particle systems occurs. As traditional models for describing fracture mechanisms are inadequate, it is necessary to develop new models tailored to the composition and structure of EnAM particles. The aim of the project is to develop fracture function and strength models for multi-component EnAM particles and to integrate them into comminution models, particularly for dry comminution in ball mills. The second phase of the project will focus on deriving structural parameters from EnAM particles and incorporating them into mechanistic models of the fracture function. This will take into account the unique characteristics of dry grinding in ball mills, such as the distribution of kinetic energy across the grinding media and the altered fracture behaviour due to particle bed stress, which can be modelled using Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations at different scales. Ultimately, the aim is to improve the understanding and modelling of the fracture behav-iour in dry ball milling processes for EnAM particles and apply it to population balances.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 2315: Engineered Artificial Minerals (EnAM) – a geo-metallurgical tool to recycle critical elements from waste streams
• Co-Investigator: Professor Dr.-Ing. Arno Kwade