Calculation of the drag force in a tubular conveyor for roasted coffee using co-simulation

Authors

  • Segismundo Mujica Caballero Universidad de Oriente, Facultad de Ingeniería Mecánica e Industrial. Departamento de Mecánica Aplicada y Diseño. Santiago de Cuba. Cuba.
  • Carlos Eduardo Alfaro Rodríguez Universidad de Oriente, Facultad de Ingeniería Mecánica e Industrial. Departamento de Manufactura y Materiales. Santiago de Cuba. Cuba.
  • Yunielkis Pompa Chacon Universidad de Oriente, Facultad de Ingeniería Mecánica e Industrial. Departamento de Mecánica Aplicada y Diseño. Santiago de Cuba. Cuba.

Keywords:

tubular drag conveyor, discrete element modeling, multibody dynamics

Abstract

During the initial stage of the design of a tubular drag conveyor, it was necessary the calculation of the drag force, for which it was used the co-simulation between multibody dynamics and discrete element modeling softwares. The objective of this study was to apply a methodology based on co-simulation techniques to a straight-layout conveyor in order to determine the forces on the drag elements. An initial model was developed and RecurDyn and EDEM software packages were used jointly to describe the interaction between the granular material and the moving parts of the conveyor. The methodology was applied during the early design stage of a roasted coffee conveyor, which was selected as the case study. The drag force on a grain loaded and unloaded disk conditions was obtained. The proposed methodology proved to be effective in determining operational forces and establishes a basis for its application to tubular conveyors with alternative layout configurations.

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Published

2025-10-16

How to Cite

1.
Mujica Caballero S, Alfaro Rodríguez CE, Pompa Chacon Y. Calculation of the drag force in a tubular conveyor for roasted coffee using co-simulation. Ing. Mec. [Internet]. 2025 Oct. 16 [cited 2026 Jan. 29];28:e715. Available from: https://ingenieriamecanica.cujae.edu.cu/index.php/revistaim/article/view/826

Issue

Vol. 28 (2025): Publicación continua

Section

Original article

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