A new sponsor for Comminution '23 highlights the importance of DEM

Discrete element methods (DEM) are a suite of numerical techniques developed over the past 45 years to model granular materials, rock, and other discontinua at the grain scale. The motion of particulates and the deformation of solids are dominated by contact forces between bodies. The prediction of these forces and the subsequent evolution of the particulate system is the basis of the DEM methods. DEM is increasingly coupled to other important physics such as fluid motion and material deformation and fracture.

Sixteen years ago MEI organised DEM '07 in Brisbane, and a major contributor to that event was CSIRO's Dr. Paul Cleary, recognised as one of the great pioneers of DEM in mineral processing, particularly comminution. He has developed world class DEM capabilities for predicting the flow of granular materials in industrial processes and particularly in mixing, separation, comminution, storage, transport and excavation.  He is also a leading developer of the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method for industrial fluid dynamics, and DEM and SPH will be the subject of his two papers, and others, at Comminution '23 in Cape Town next month. We are privileged to have Paul at the conference, as in previous years; he was ranked #1 of the 600 elite scientists in the field of Mining & Metallurgy in the recent Stanford University listing of the Top 2% of Scientists in the world.

Paul Cleary (3rd right) with young researchers at Comminution '12

We are also pleased to welcome a new sponsor, Brazilian company Rocky DEM.

ROCKY is a powerful, 3D Discrete Element Modeling program that quickly and accurately simulates particle behavior within a conveyor chute, mill, or other materials handling system. The company says that the software is a revolutionary way to handle a problem through computer simulation. It analyses media flow patterns and energy absorption rates, particle breakage, energy spectra analysis, optimises life expectancy of conveyor belts and components, minimises material spillage in a design, reduces the need for dust control and suppression, among numerous other applications. 

Thanks to all our sponsors

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