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Applications · DEM Simulation of Rotary Drums and Dryers

The shell and lifter thickness of your drum, justified by the real material load

The shell thickness and lifter cross-section are not set by experience: they are set by the load the material places on them revolution after revolution. Knowing that load by DEM allows sizing for what actually happens, not for what the process specifications suggest.

Propose a part for a pilot case
Demonstration on generic geometry: industrial rotary drum with material motion and load on lifters with DEM. (1/3)Demonstration on generic geometry: industrial rotary drum with material motion and load on lifters with DEM. (2/3)Demonstration on generic geometry: industrial rotary drum with material motion and load on lifters with DEM. (3/3)
Demonstration on generic geometry: industrial rotary drum with material motion and load on lifters with DEM.

What we calculate

  • Material motion and loads (DEM)

    Material motion inside the drum; load on lifters, flights and the shell; comparison of material distribution between geometries.

  • Lifter weld fatigue (FEM)

    Stress and fatigue of lifter and end-plate welds to EN 1993-1-9 and IIW, under the service load agreed in the proposal. Feeding the DEM load directly into the fatigue analysis is under development.

  • Shell wear

    Life of the shell and lifters as a function of steel hardness and material abrasiveness.

Standards we work with

  • EN 1993-1-9 . IIWWe calculate to: fatigue of lifter and end-plate welds
  • Reg. (EU) 2023/1230Strength and fatigue analysis is part of the technical file the manufacturer must hold (applicable from 20 January 2027)
  • How does the DEM load differ from client specifications?

    Client specifications (tonnes per hour, temperature, particle size) are process conditions, not structural loads. DEM converts those conditions into the actual force distribution on each lifter and each zone of the shell.

  • Our drums are built with decades of experience.

    Experience provides a starting thickness, not the actual fatigue life. When the drum diameter increases or material density changes, empirical extrapolation is not valid.

  • Does the Machinery Regulation require us to calculate the drum?

    Strength and fatigue analysis is part of the technical file the manufacturer must hold under Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, applicable from 20 January 2027.

  • Can you calculate drums with non-standard lifter geometries?

    Yes. DEM works on the real geometry of your drum, with the lifter shape and angle you use. DXF or STEP drawings of the drum are enough to start.

Pilot case

Propose a part for a pilot case

Send us the drawing or a description of the part, its material and how it works. We will tell you what we can calculate, with which data and in what time frame. The pilot case ends with a signed report.

Write to ingenieria@zytel.es

Phone: 976 14 18 19