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3D formulation of the deformable discrete element method
Author(s) -
Rojek Jerzy,
Nosewicz Szymon,
Thoeni Klaus
Publication year - 2021
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.6666
Subject(s) - discrete element method , discretization , cuboid , deformation (meteorology) , materials science , particle (ecology) , extended discrete element method , contact force , mechanics , granular material , range (aeronautics) , contact mechanics , finite element method , geometry , classical mechanics , composite material , structural engineering , mathematics , physics , mathematical analysis , engineering , boundary element method , geology , oceanography , boundary knot method
Abstract This work presents a 3D extension of the deformable discrete element method (DDEM) developed previously for 2D problems. The 3D formulation employs spherical particles. The particle deformation is made up of a global and local deformation mode. The global mode is assumed to be produced by uniform stress due to the contact forces. Particle deformability yields a nonlocal contact model, in which one contact between particles is influenced by contacts with other particles. It also leads to the formation of new contacts in the particle assembly. The DDEM affects the behavior of the granular material at the macroscopic level and gives new possibilities in material modeling by the discrete element method (DEM). The new algorithm is verified on a unconfined uniaxial compression test of a cuboid specimen discretized with equal‐size bonded particles aligned in a simple cubic pattern using an analytical solution. Enhanced modeling capabilities are presented by simulating cylindrical specimens discretized with a nonuniform size of bonded particles. The micro–macro relationships for elastic parameters are obtained. It is shown that the DDEM extends the range of the Poisson's ratio achievable with the DEM. Additional simulations are performed to determine the stability limits of the DDEM.