Arching, blocking, and sticking might be frequently encountered in hopper. Studies are carried out in order to solve these problems in Luoyang Bauxite Mine, China. The results of similarity model tests show that factors affecting flowability of particles are mainly friction and cohesion, when the moisture content changes from 82% to 10.8%, the influence of friction and cohesion on the flowability of particles becomes increasingly unfavorable, particles are easier to stay in the corners. In addition, the discharge effect is also affected by friction coefficient of the inner wall. In the numerical simulation, vibration is imposed by means of two blue balls fixed in the corners, where the flowability of particles is proved to be the worst. Results indicate that, no matter whether vibration is added or not, the total numbers of discharged particles and contacts change linearly with time steps, the contact forces between particles and walls are generally greater than that between particles. Compared with gravity discharge, the average velocities of the particles are obviously increased with the help of vibrations, especially in the corners of the hopper. The contact forces between particles as well as between particles and walls are optimized, that is, larger fluctuations of the contact forces are exhibited periodically, mainly because the contacts are greatly damaged by vibrations, therefore, the possibility of arching is limited effectively. The results of the studies reflect the mechanism of vibrations-aided gravitational flow and provide a theoretical basis for the design of a new vibrator. In combination with flow characteristics of particles, influencing factors of particle flow and theory of granular mechanics, a new flow-aiding vibrator with overhanging style in hopper is designed. In field tests, it has been proved to be a safe and effective device for solving problems of arching, blocking and sticking. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All sights reserved.