This work studied the mechanical properties of a series of industrial fuel powders: bituminite, lignite, and petroleum coke. Sieved cuts of these powders were assessed and the flow properties of each sample were used to calculate tensile strengths as functions of consolidation stress. In addition, BET surface areas and dispersive surface energies were estimated from surface energy analysis. To analyze the bulk flow properties of these fuel powders in terms of micro-contact mechanics, the fundamentals of fuel powder adhesion and consolidation were reconsidered based on the “stiff particles with soft contacts” model proposed by Tomas. In the present work, a multi-contact concept was introduced to account for the irregular shapes of actual particles. This modified model was based on elastic–plastic contact deformation theory and was employed to describe the contact between rough particles and to estimate the associated inter-particle forces. The results were used in conjunction with the Rumpf approach to relate the isostatic tensile strength to the degree of consolidation. Applying average values for the powder compressibility parameters allowed the model to be used for predictive purposes, and an acceptable level of agreement was found between predicted and measured tensile strengths.

这项工作研究了一系列工业燃料粉的机械性能：烟煤，褐煤和石油焦。评估这些粉末的筛分切口，并使用每个样品的流动性能计算抗张强度，作为固结应力的函数。另外，通过表面能分析来估计BET表面积和分散表面能。为了从微接触力学角度分析这些燃料粉末的整体流动特性，基于Tomas提出的“具有软接触的硬质颗粒”模型，重新考虑了燃料粉末的粘附和固结的基本原理。在当前的工作中，引入了多接触概念来解决实际粒子的不规则形状。该修改后的模型基于弹塑性接触变形理论，用于描述粗糙粒子之间的接触并估计相关的粒子间力。将结果与Rumpf方法结合使用，将等静压拉伸强度与固结度相关联。应用粉末可压缩性参数的平均值可以将模型用于预测目的，并且可以在预测和测量的拉伸强度之间找到可接受的一致性水平。