Simulation and Experiment on the Falling Pattern of Fresh Tea Leaves Based on Discrete Elements

Abstract

Tea [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Ktze] is loved by people all over the world. For accurate simulation of the falling motion characteristics of fresh tea leaves, this study took one bud and two leaves of fresh tea leaves as the research object, and established a 1:1 three-dimensional (3D) model of fresh tea leaves by using 3D scanning and reverse modeling technologies. The 3D fresh tea leaves model was filled with discrete element particles, and the motion pattern of fresh tea leaves within a certain distance from the ground was simulated. The falling shape of fresh tea leaves was captured by the high-speed camera to verify the established model. By adjusting parameters to optimize the model, it was concluded that the simulation was in good agreement with the test, indicating that the established model is correct. According to the simulation, the fall analysis of four kinds of fresh tea leaves, A, B, C, and D, placed on the transmission belt was carried out. The distance between the transmission belt and the ground was 80 cm. Among them, A leaves were 45 cm, B leaves were 55 cm, C leaves were 55 cm, and D leaves were 65 cm away from the ground. The movement characteristic of fresh tea leaves is vertical on the ground. In different positions from the ground during the falling process, it was found that all kinds of fresh tea leaves were rotated around the stalk axis and the middle part of the fresh tea leaves. In conclusion, the establishment of a discrete element model of fresh tea leaves’ movement morphology and the analysis of movement morphology during the falling process laid a theoretical foundation for the study of air suction sorting of fresh tea leaves in the later period.

Keywords

• discrete meta-particles
• edem simulation
• motion morphology