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Efficient generation of densely packed convex polyhedra for 3D discrete and finite‐discrete element methods
Author(s) -
Buechler S.R.,
Johnson S.M.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
international journal for numerical methods in engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.421
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1097-0207
pISSN - 0029-5981
DOI - 10.1002/nme.4429
Subject(s) - polyhedron , ellipsoid , discrete element method , tetrahedron , finite element method , regular polygon , convex hull , spheres , geometry , simple (philosophy) , convex polytope , ellipse , mathematics , computer science , algorithm , engineering , convex optimization , convex analysis , physics , structural engineering , mechanics , philosophy , astronomy , aerospace engineering , epistemology
SUMMARY For granular mechanics studies, efficiently creating a realistic consolidated pack is a challenging task. To achieve this, particle shapes are traditionally restricted to simple shapes (disks, ellipses, spheres, ellipsoids) or constructed from a library, loosely populated, and subsequently settled under gravity. These methods suffer from both a lack of physicality in terms of the particle shapes and impractically long sample preparation times. To address these shortcomings, we introduce a method to generate and pack polyhedra within arbitrary boundaries through a tetrahedral element erosion process. This approach yields tightly packed systems of convex hulls for traditional discrete element calculations and internal tetrahedral meshing of the individual bodies for use in finite‐discrete element or finite element calculations. To demonstrate the method, we present its application to packing sphere‐like and ellipsoid‐like particles for simple and complex bounding volumes. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.