Modeling contact behaviour of arbitrarily shaped particles

The process of filtration (i.e. the separation of a disperse phase from a fluid) is widely applied in the industry. The variety of applications implies that filtration technologies have to cater to an accordingly huge range of requirements. To meet the constantly increasing demands, researchers often conduct experiments on a macroscopic scale, which means that either the filter as a whole is investigated or smaller segments of it are. In both cases, phenomena that take place on a much smaller scale, such as the interactions of single particles with other particles or with the filter medium itself, cannot be fully comprehended. Although it is possible to experimentally analyse more isolated filtration processes, as it is the case in single fibre deposition measurements, it is often impossible to analyse a sample without destroying or damaging it – which, in turn, hampers a more precise description of a transient loading procedure. Numerical simulations represent a valuable addition to those measurements because they deliver reproducibility and control of relevant parameters – which, as of now, is not achievable in experiments. Particularly in the context of microscale research of single fibre deposition, numerical simulations are capable of yielding transient data of particle interactions that are otherwise difficult to obtain. Common simulations in that field tend to simplify the process of deposition by assuming spherical particles and employing models for rebound or adhesion which also rely on a spherical shape. Therefore, the work at hand introduces methods for the calculation of adhesive van der Waals forces and impact mechanics which are independent of particle geometry, with forces resolved at the particle’s surfaces.