Abstract: Abstract: Blockage failure can be caused by the motion of the soot cake layer in the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF). In this study, the motion and distribution of the soot cake layer were visualized to combine the E-Discrete Element Method (EDEM) with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). An analysis was made on the flow field pressure drop, soot cake layer motion, and blockage characteristics inside the symmetric, asymmetric cell technology (ACT) D type and O type DPF channels. The results show that there was a small velocity difference between the inlet channel centers of the above three types of DPF. By contrast, a large difference was found in the flow velocity between the centers of the exhaust channel. Among them, the fastest flow velocity was at the outlet of the channel of the ACT structure O type, whereas, the slowest of the symmetrical structure was a difference of 47 m/s. The differential static pressure of different models of DPF also varied widely at the same time. The largest difference was observed in the static pressure of ACT structure O type, which were 1.4 and 3.3 times those of D type and the symmetric structure. More than 90% of the soot cake layer was migrated in the three types of DPF inlet channels. The most serious blockage was in the symmetric channel, with the blockage segments formed in the front, middle and back sections. The nearest distance was 41.4 mm between the blockage segment and the inlet end. The ACT structure D/O type DPF presented a relatively light blockage, where the blockages were formed in the middle and back sections of the inlet channel. Among them, the blockage was closer to the back end in the O type channel. The blockage segment was separated from the entrance 164.4 mm away from the inlet, which caused the smaller back pressure to increase. In the same type of DPF, the 550 kg/m3 high-density soot cake layer presented a greater resistance to exercise, and the blockage segment was located close to the inlet end of the inlet channel, resulting in the less effective space in the inlet channel. The blockage segment of the 350 kg/m3 medium-density soot cake layer was slightly farther from the inlet end, and the 150 kg/m3 low-density soot cake layer was farthest from the inlet end. The closer the blockage segment was to the inlet end, the less effective space there was in the inlet channel. There was a significant increase in the back pressure of the DPF, eventually affecting the engine power and economy. Meanwhile, the change of the soot cake layer density posed different effects on the different types of the DPF inlet channel, among which, the change of density was the greatest change on the axial position of the blockage segment formed in the symmetric channel, followed by ACT structure D type, and ACT structure O type was the least. Thus, among the three types of the DPF, the O type structure was the most effective to deal with blockage failure. In addition, the higher the density of the soot cake layer, the higher the mass of the cake, the weaker the airflow propulsion, the lower the maximum blockage density in the inlet channel, and the improved flow performance of the airflow through the blockage segment, and vice versa. In overview, there was a severe symmetric structure of DPF channel blockage, but the static pressure difference was low when unloaded with the soot. While the ACT structure of channel blockage was light, usually the soot cake layer was accumulated at the end position of the inlet channel, which was regarded as an end plug, but the static pressure difference was very high, the static pressure difference without soot loading was less than 2.4 kPa, the static pressure difference was 6.3 kPa for D type and 9.1 kPa for O type. The trade-offs between the two types were chosen, according to the actual engineering application requirements. The findings can provide a theoretical basis and engineering guidance for the DPF channel blockage failure.