MATHEGRAM

Multiscale Analysis of Thermomechanical Behaviour of Granular Materials


MATHEGRAM is a H2020 MARIE Skłodowska-CURIE Innovative Training Network (ITN) coordinated by the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering at the University of Surrey. MATHEGRAM aims to address the following resarch questions:

  • How does temperature increase within granular materials without the application of external heating sources?
  • How does temperature affect the physical properties of granular materials?
  • How can the thermomechanical properties of granular materials be effectively utilised in various applications, e.g. additive manufacturing, powder coating, sintering and catalysis?

The Geotechnics Section is contributing to WP2 in MATHEGRAM: Thermal effects on physics and mechanics of granular materials.  Two early stage researchers are based at Imperial, Tokio Morimoto and Marina Schnaider Bortolotto.  These researchers are supervised by Prof. Catherine O'Sullivan and Dr. David Taborda.

 

Overview of MATHEGRAM Research at Imperial College

image of permeameter

ESR 6 - Marina Bortolotto

Project Title: An experimental analysis of thermal effects on micromechanics of packed granular beds (WP2)


Objectives:

i) to understand the link between thermal changes at the particle scale and overall thermo-mechanical response of granular media through thermal characterisation experiments in a controlled-stress environment 

ii) to develop a dataset suited to validation of thermal particulate DEM codes.

Contact: Marina Schnaider Bortolotto

image of heat transfer in granular media

ESR 7 - Tokio Morimoto

Project Title: A DEM analysis of thermal effects on micromechanics of packed granular beds (WP2)


Objectives:

i) to perform DEM modelling of thermal triaxial tests and to advance understanding of the link between contact configurations and thermal performance of granular materials

ii) to simulate controlled tests on model granular materials used by ESR6

iii) to explore the sensitivity of thermal response to fabric and packing configuration.

Contact: Tokio Morimoto

MATHEGRAM received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement MATHEGRAM No 813202.