Granular segregation is a common, yet still puzzling, phenomenon encountered in many natural and engineering processes. Here, we experimentally investigate the effect of particles cohesion on segregation in dry monodisperse and bidisperse systems using a rotating drum mixer. Chemical silanization, glass surface functionalization via a Silane coupling agent, is used to produce cohesive dry glass particles. The cohesive force between the particles is controlled by varying the reaction duration of the silanization process, and is measured using an in-house device specifically designed for this study. The effects of the cohesive force on flow and segregation are then explored and discussed. For monosized particulate systems, while cohesionless particles perfectly mix when tumbled, highly cohesive particles segregate. For bidisperse mixtures of particles, an adequate cohesion-tuning reduces segregation and enhances mixing. Based on these results, a simple scheme is proposed to describe the system’s mixing behaviour with important implications for the control of segregation or mixing in particulate industrial processes.

MercuryDPM is a particle-simulation software developed open-source by a global network of researchers. It was designed ab initio to simulate realistic geometries and materials, thus it contains several unique features not found in any other particle simulation software. These features have been discussed in a companion paper published in the DEM7 conference proceedings; here we present several challenging setups implemented in MercuryDPM . Via these setups, we demonstrate the unique capability of the code to simulate and analyse highly complex geotechnical and industrial applications. The setups implemented include complex geometries such as (i) a screw conveyor, (ii) steady-state inflow conditions for chute flows, (iii) a confined conveyor belt to simulate a steady-state breaking wave, and (iii) a quasi-2D cylindrical slice to efficiently study shear flows. MercuryDPM is also parallel, which we showcase via a multi-million particle simulations of a rotating drum. We further demonstrate how to simulate complex particle interactions, including: (i) deformable, charged clay particles; and (ii) liquid bridges and liquid migration in wet particulates, (iii) non-spherical particles implemented via superquadrics. Finally, we show how to analyse and complex systems using the unique micro-macro mapping (coarse-graining) tool MercuryCG.