Simulation Optimization Of Mixing Scheme For Powder Metallurgy Brake Pads

Powder metallurgy is widely used as an efficient method for material preparation in the manufacturing of various components,with brake pads being an important application field.The formulation of powder mixing schemes has always been a key issue restricting product quality and production efficiency in the powder metallurgy manufacturing process.This article aims to use computer simulation methods to optimize the mixing scheme and process parameters of powder metallurgy brake pads.Firstly,the basic composition of powder metallurgy brake pads is introduced,and four raw materials for powder metallurgy brake pads are determined for study.The Lacey mixing index is used to evaluate the mixing uniformity of the powder particles after mixing the four materials.Next,the physical properties of the materials are modeled and simulated using EDEM software,and a post-processing script file is written in Python to calculate the Lacey value at each time step during the mixing process.A series of mixing schemes are designed,and the optimal mixing scheme is selected by comparing the simulation results.Furthermore,a series of optimizations are carried out on the drum structure.In the optimization process of the mixing scheme,this paper considered multiple factors.Firstly,the changes of process parameters such as particle size,drum speed,and filling rate of four material particles were studied to investigate their effects on the mixing effect of powder particles in the drum.The setting values that were most favorable for powder mixing under various parameters were determined,and it was finally found that when the particle size of the four materials was relatively uniform,the mixing effect was the best.Moreover,a drum speed of 120 r/min not only enhanced the mixing effect but also reduced the mixing time,and the filling rate of 50% was the most suitable for the practical engineering application.Additionally,the feeding sequence had no effect on mixing uniformity.Finally,the influence of the shape,number,angle,height,and arrangement of the internal baffles in the drum on the mixing uniformity of powder particles is studied.It is determined that staggered baffles with an axial angle of 30 degrees,a height of 0.33 R,and a quantity of 8 are the most effective for mixing powder particles.The operating mode of the drum is changed according to this structural parameter change,and it is found that the reciprocating drum rotation mode has a better mixing effect on powder particles than the unidirectional drum rotation mode and it can greatly reduce the mixing time.In summary,this article proposes an optimized mixing scheme for powder metallurgy brake pads using computer simulation methods.The research results provide an efficient method for optimizing the mixing scheme of powder metallurgy brake pads,and also provide important references for related engineering design(drum shape and structure optimization).