Geometric Effects of Extraction Sequence and Drawpoint Number on Isolated Extraction Zones in Gravitational Granular Flows

Geometric Effects of Extraction Sequence and Drawpoint Number on Isolated Extraction Zones in Gravitational Granular Flows | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Geometric Effects of Extraction Sequence and Drawpoint Number on Isolated Extraction Zones in Gravitational Granular Flows Simón Leyton, Sergio Palma, Alvaro Vergara, Raúl Fuentes This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7972357/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Granular discharge in silos and underground mines is controlled not only by the total mass extracted but also by the geometry of flow zones created around drawpoints. Despite its importance, the combined influence of drawpoint configuration and extraction sequence remains poorly quantified. Here we employ large-scale Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations to investigate the geometric evolution of isolated extraction zones (IEZs) under three representative scenarios: isolated draw, consecutive draw, and over-extraction. We show that both the number of active drawpoints and their activation order substantially modify IEZ height, width, and slenderness, with measurable consequences for flow uniformity and recovery efficiency. A previously unreported inclination of extraction ellipsoids is identified, linked to drawpoint interaction and lateral particle flow. Based on the simulation results, we propose a new piecewise mathematical model that combines power-law and linear regimes to predict IEZ growth, achieving high determination coefficients across conditions. These findings provide a physically grounded framework with direct implications for silo discharge studies and block caving design. Granular media Silo discharge Isolated extraction zone (IEZ) Block caving mining Flow inclination Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7972357","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":604076863,"identity":"47a09942-4a3b-454f-a5aa-9fbcf30350be","order_by":0,"name":"Simón Leyton","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Simón","middleName":"","lastName":"Leyton","suffix":""},{"id":604076864,"identity":"cf369ec7-cc51-481f-b0f4-0baee8f59b71","order_by":1,"name":"Sergio Palma","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA3UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYLCCBBDBDsQfwFzmBiK1MDMwMM4AcxmJ0MIA1cLMQ4wW+fbexy8eVDDk8TdzJ362bauLZmA/iF+LwZnjZhYJZxiKJQ7zbpbObTuc28CTSECLRBqbQWIbQ2LDYd4NQC0HchskCDls/jOIlvlAW35bttUR1sJwg435AUjLhsO826QZ25gJazE4k8bGkHBGotgQqMWy59zh3DZCfpFvP8b88UeFTZ7c8d7NN36U1eX2sx8+gN9hDAxsEgwMEgkILiH1QMAMSiYJhFSNglEwCkbBCAYAW7xFavzexMEAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sergio","middleName":"","lastName":"Palma","suffix":""},{"id":604076865,"identity":"bcd0b422-0c19-4786-9d62-3a4b45af5aba","order_by":2,"name":"Alvaro Vergara","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"RWTH Aachen","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Alvaro","middleName":"","lastName":"Vergara","suffix":""},{"id":604076866,"identity":"eddf6699-e5b1-4468-80d0-29a33efe122f","order_by":3,"name":"Raúl Fuentes","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"RWTH Aachen","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Raúl","middleName":"","lastName":"Fuentes","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-10-28 17:33:17","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7972357/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7972357/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":106795547,"identity":"d2d3bc46-3216-480c-b3b4-25746fb1d061","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-13 13:58:50","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":6333558,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"LeytonPalmaVergaraFuentesGM2025.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7972357/v1_covered_9092c85e-0775-4100-ba1d-903f75ddcd57.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Geometric Effects of Extraction Sequence and Drawpoint Number on Isolated Extraction Zones in Gravitational Granular Flows","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Granular media, Silo discharge, Isolated extraction zone (IEZ), Block caving mining, Flow inclination","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7972357/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7972357/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Granular discharge in silos and underground mines is controlled not only by the total mass extracted but also by the geometry of flow zones created around drawpoints. Despite its importance, the combined influence of drawpoint configuration and extraction sequence remains poorly quantified. Here we employ large-scale Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations to investigate the geometric evolution of isolated extraction zones (IEZs) under three representative scenarios: isolated draw, consecutive draw, and over-extraction. We show that both the number of active drawpoints and their activation order substantially modify IEZ height, width, and slenderness, with measurable consequences for flow uniformity and recovery efficiency. A previously unreported inclination of extraction ellipsoids is identified, linked to drawpoint interaction and lateral particle flow. Based on the simulation results, we propose a new piecewise mathematical model that combines power-law and linear regimes to predict IEZ growth, achieving high determination coefficients across conditions. 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