Improved MPS method with variable‐size particles

Summary Using variable‐size particles in the moving particle semi‐implicit method (MPS) could lead to inaccurate predictions and/or numerical instability. In this paper, a variable‐size particle moving particle semi‐implicit method (VSP‐MPS) scheme is proposed for the MPS method to achieve more reliable simulations with variable‐size particles. To improve stability and accuracy, a new gradient model is developed based on a previously developed MPS scheme that requires no surface detection MPS. The dynamic particle coalescing and splitting algorithm is revised to achieve dynamic multi‐resolution. A cubic spline function with additional function is employed as the kernel function. The effectiveness of the VSP‐MPS method is demonstrated by three verification examples, that is, a hydrostatic pressure problem, a complicated free surface flow problem with large deformation, and a dynamic impact problem. The new VSP‐MPS scheme with variable‐size particles is found to have balanced efficiency and accuracy that is suitable for simulating large systems with complex flow patterns. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.