Numerical Simulation of Wall Wear Patterns and Service Life Prediction for Disc Filters

ABSTRACT Emitters are critical components in microirrigation systems and are highly susceptible to clogging, making filtration units such as disc filters widely employed. However, their wear patterns and service life under long‐term sediment erosion remain unclear. This study employed the discrete element method (DEM) in EDEM (a commercial DEM software developed by DEM solutions), integrated with the Archard wear model. A comprehensive wear scaling factor ( Ω = 1.1) was established. Validation against an independent 5‐year dataset demonstrated a relative prediction error of less than 14%. The study revealed clear differences in the wear mechanisms between the filtration and backwashing cycles. Filtration was identified as the dominant factor, contributing over 98% to the total wear. The wear damage accumulated linearly over time and was spatially concentrated in the inlet region. In contrast, the backwashing cycle exhibited a ‘limited saturation’ characteristic in the middle and downstream regions, where wear ceased after approximately 50 s. Consequently, its impact on the full lifecycle was minimal. As the inlet sediment concentration increased from 0.15 to 0.25 g/L, the optimal service life of the filter decreased from 10 to 6 years. These findings provide critical theoretical insights and data support for the wear‐resistant design and full lifecycle maintenance of disc filters.