Examining the effects of liquid–powder binder concentration on the cohesion and friction of a granular bed

Abstract

This paper presents the shear strength behavior of glass beads with two particular sizes under the influence of 0–5% liquid and hydrated lime (HL) contents. Experimental work was performed to analyze the influence of liquid–powder mixture ratios on a wet granular system under various loading stresses. Results showed that shear resistance (i.e., cohesion and friction) initially increased then decreased with the increase in liquid amount. HL increased the shear resistance of the mixture with a low liquid content (up to 3%), whereas it showed ineffective behavior in the mixture with a high liquid content (from 4% to 5%) because of the dominant liquid-related forces in the intermediated adhering layer. HL addition to the mixture increased the cohesion constants of small (from 0.04 kPa to 1.41 kPa) and large (from 0.2 kPa to 1.78 kPa) glass beads. Bulk density initially decreased with an increase in liquid content to a certain extent and increased afterward. HL was effectual (from 1% to 4%) and decreased the bulk density, but further addition of HL exerted an indeterminate effect. Hence, the bulk density and shear resistance evaluation help to assess the growth and strength of agglomerated products.

Keywords:

• Granular
• binder
• shear
• bulk density
• particle size

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Innovative Research Groups of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51621005).