Modelling and simulation of processing steps in powder technology using particle dynamics

A simulation method based on discrete particle dynamics is presented and applied to die filling, compaction and sintering. The method is computationally very efficient so that three dimensional simulations with several million grains can be simulated. In contrast to continuum methods this approach automatically takes into account the rearrangements of the grains and predicts structural compositions. This allows for a comparison with anaytical results in the case of powder compaction and sintering yielding new insights into the dynamics of granular materials.