Damage Mechanism of Ultra-thin Asphalt Overlay(UTAO) based on Discrete Element Method

Aiming to analyze the damage mechanism of UTAO from the perspective of meso-mechanical mechanism using discrete element method(DEM),we conducted study of diseases problems of UTAO in several provinces in China,and found that aggregate spalling was one of the main disease types of UTAO.A discrete element model of UTAO pavement structure was constructed to explore the meso-mechanical mechanism of UTAO damage under the influence of layer thickness,gradation,and bonding modulus.The experimental results show that,as the thickness of UTAO decreasing,the maximum value and the mean value of the contact force between all aggregate particles gradually increase,which leads to aggregates more prone to spalling.Compared with OGFC-5 UTAO,AC-5 UTAO presents smaller maximum and average values of all contact forces,and the loading pressure in AC-5 UTAO is fully diffused in the lateral direction.In addition,the increment of pavement modulus strengthens the overall force of aggregate particles inside UTAO,resulting in aggregate particles peeling off more easily.The increase of bonding modulus changes the position where the maximum value of the tangential force appears,whereas has no effect on the normal force.

Correlations between mineral composition and mechanical properties of granite using digital image processing and discrete element method

This study investigated the correlations between mechanical properties and mineralogy of granite using the digital image processing(DIP) and discrete element method(DEM). The results showed that the X-ray diffraction(XRD)-based DIP method effectively analyzed the mineral composition contents and spatial distributions of granite. During the particle flow code(PFC2D) model calibration phase, the numerical simulation exhibited that the uniaxial compressive strength(UCS) value, elastic modulus(E), and failure pattern of the granite specimen in the UCS test were comparable to the experiment. By establishing 351 sets of numerical models and exploring the impacts of mineral composition on the mechanical properties of granite, it indicated that there was no negative correlation between quartz and feldspar for UCS, tensile strength(σ_(t)), and E. In contrast, mica had a significant negative correlation for UCS, σ_(t), and E. The presence of quartz increased the brittleness of granite, whereas the presence of mica and feldspar increased its ductility in UCS and direct tensile strength(DTS) tests. Varying contents of major mineral compositions in granite showed minor influence on the number of cracks in both UCS and DTS tests.

Computational fluid dynamics-discrete element method simulation of stirred tank reactor for graphene production

Liquid phase exfoliation(LPE)process for graphene production is usually carried out in stirred tank reactor and the interactions between the solvent and the graphite particles are important as to improve the production efficiency.In this paper,these interactions were revealed by computational fluid dynamics–discrete element method(CFD-DEM)method.Based on simulation results,both liquid phase flow hydrodynamics and particle motion behavior have been analyzed,which gave the general information of the multiphase flow behavior inside the stirred tank reactor as to graphene production.By calculating the threshold at the beginning of graphite exfoliation process,the shear force from the slip velocity was determined as the active force.These results can support the optimization of the graphene production process.

Effect of heterogeneity on mechanical and micro-seismic behaviors of sandstone subjected to multi-level cyclic loading: A discrete element method investigation

In numerical simulation of the mechanical responses and acoustic emission(AE)characteristics of rocks under cyclic loading,the impacts of compositional heterogeneities of mineral grains have barely been considered.This will lead to a poor reproduction of rock’s behaviors in terms of stress-strain relationship and micro-seismic characteristics in numerical simulation.This work aims to analyze and reveal the impact of parameter heterogeneity on the rock’s fatigue and micro-seismic properties based on PFC3D.Two distribution patterns(uniform and Weibull distributions),are implemented to assign four critical parameters(i.e.tensile strength,cohesion,parallel bond stiffness and linear stiffness)for 32 sets of numerical schemes.The results show that the models with high heterogeneity of tensile strength and cohesion can better reproduce the stress-strain relationship as well as the patterns of cumulative AE counts and energy magnitude.The evolution of the proportion of three-level AE events in the laboratory test is consistent with the numerical results when the highly heterogeneous tensile strength and cohesion are distributed.The numerical results can provide practical guidance to the PFC-based modeling of rock heterogeneity when exposed to multi-level cyclic loading and AE monitoring.

Capability of discrete element method to investigate the macro-micro mechanical behaviours of granular soils considering different stress conditions and morphological gene mutation

Discrete element method(DEM)has been widely utilised to model the mechanical behaviours of granular materials.However,with simplified particle morphology or rheology-based rolling resistance models,DEM failed to describe some responses,such as the particle kinematics at the grain-scale and the principal stress ratio against axial strain at the macro-scale.This paper adopts a computed tomography(CT)-based DEM technique,including particle morphology data acquisition from micro-CT(mCT),spherical harmonic-based principal component analysis(SH-PCA)-based particle morphology reconstruction and DEM simulations,to investigate the capability of DEM with realistic particle morphology for modelling granular soils’micro-macro mechanical responses with a consideration of the initial packing state,the morphological gene mutation degree,and the confining stress condition.It is found that DEM with realistic particle morphology can reasonably reproduce granular materials’micro-macro mechanical behaviours,including the deviatoric stressevolumetric straineaxial strain response,critical state behaviour,particle kinematics,and shear band evolution.Meanwhile,the role of multiscale particle morphology in granular soils depends on the initial packing state and the confining stress condition.For the same granular soils,rougher particle surfaces with a denser initial packing state and a higher confining stress condition result in a higher degree of shear strain localisation.

THE APPLICATION OF DISCRETE ELEMENT METHOD IN SOLVING THREE-DIMENTIONAL IMPACT DYNAMICS PROBLEMS

A three-dimensional discrete element model of the connective type is presented. Moreover,a three-dimensional numerical analysis code,which can carry out the transitional pro- cess from connective model(for continuum)to contact model(for non-continuum),is developed for simulating the mechanical process from continuum to non-continuum.The wave propagation process in a concrete block(as continuum)made of cement grout under impact loading is numer- ically simulated with this code.By comparing its numerical results with those by LS-DYNA,the calculation accuracy of the model and algorithm is proved.Furthermore,the failure process of the concrete block under quasi-static loading is demonstrated,showing the basic dynamic tran- sitional process from continuum to non-continuum.The results of calculation can be displayed by animation.The damage modes are similar to the experimental results.The two numerical examples above prove that our model and its code are powerful and efficient in simulating the dynamic failure problems accompanying the transition from continuum to non-continuum.It also shows that the discrete element method(DEM)will have broad prospects for development and application.

Influence of heterogeneity on rock strength and stiffness using discrete element method and parallel bond model

The particulate discrete element method(DEM) can be employed to capture the response of rock,provided that appropriate bonding models are used to cement the particles to each other.Simulations of laboratory tests are important to establish the extent to which those models can capture realistic rock behaviors.Hitherto the focus in such comparison studies has either been on homogeneous specimens or use of two-dimensional(2D) models.In situ rock formations are often heterogeneous,thus exploring the ability of this type of models to capture heterogeneous material behavior is important to facilitate their use in design analysis.In situ stress states are basically three-dimensional(3D),and therefore it is important to develop 3D models for this purpose.This paper revisits an earlier experimental study on heterogeneous specimens,of which the relative proportions of weaker material(siltstone) and stronger,harder material(sandstone) were varied in a controlled manner.Using a 3D DEM model with the parallel bond model,virtual heterogeneous specimens were created.The overall responses in terms of variations in strength and stiffness with different percentages of weaker material(siltstone) were shown to agree with the experimental observations.There was also a good qualitative agreement in the failure patterns observed in the experiments and the simulations,suggesting that the DEM data enabled analysis of the initiation of localizations and micro fractures in the specimens.

A review of methods,applications and limitations for incorporating fluid flow in the discrete element method

The past decade has witnessed the substantial growth in research interests and progress on the subject of coupled hydro-mechanical processes in rocks and soils,driven mainly by the surge of research in unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs and associated hazards.Many coupling techniques have been developed to include the effects of fluid flow in the discrete element method(DEM),and the techniques have been applied to a variety of geomechanical problems.Although these coupling methods have been successfully applied in various engineering fields,no single fluid/DEM coupling method is universal due to the complexity of engineering problems and the limitations of the numerical methods.For researchers and engineers,the key to solve a specific problem is to select the most appropriate fluid/DEM coupling method among these modeling technologies.The purpose of this paper is to give a comprehensive review of fluid flow/DEM coupling methods and relevant research.Given their importance,the availability or unavailability of best practice guidelines is outlined.The theoretical background and current status of DEM are introduced first,and the principles,applications,and advantages and disadvantages of different fluid flow/DEM coupling methods are discussed.Finally,a summary with speculation on future development trends is given.

Predicting the Dynamic Behavior of Asphalt Concrete Using Three-dimensional Discrete Element Method

A user-defined three-dimensional （3D） discrete element model was presented to predict the dynamic modulus and phase angle of asphalt concrete （AC）. The 3D discrete element method （DEM） model of AC was constructed employing a user-defined computer program developed using the ＂Fish＂ language in PFC3D. Important microstructural features of AC were modeled, including aggregate gradation, air voids and mastic. The irregular shape of aggregate particle was modeled using a clump of spheres. The developed model was validated through comparing with experimental measurements and then used to simulate the cyclic uniaxial compression test, based on which the dynamic modulus and phase angle were calculated from the output stress- strain relationship. The effects of air void content, aggregate stiffness and volumetric fraction on AC modulus were further investigated. The experimental results show that the 3D DEM model is able to accurately predict both dynamic modulus and phase angle of AC across a range of temperature and loading frequencies. The user- defined 3D model also demonstrated significant improvement over the general existing two-dimensional models.

Dynamic Analysis of Deep-Ocean Mining Pipe System by Discrete Element Method

The dynamic analysis of a pipe system is one of the most crucial problems for the entire mining system. A discrete element method （DEM） is proposed for the analysis of a deep-ocean mining pipe system, including the lift pipe, pump, buffer and flexible hose. By the discrete element method, the pipe is divided into some rigid elements that are linked by flexible connectors. First, two examples representing static analysis and dynamic analysis respectively are given to show that the DEM model is feasible. Then the three-dimensional DEM model is used for dynamic analysis of the mining pipe system. The dynamic motions of the entire mining pipe system under different work conditions are discussed. Some suggestions are made for the actual operation of deep-ocean mining systems.

Study on the particle breakage of ballast based on a GPU accelerated discrete element method

Breakage of particles will have greatly influence on mechanical behavior of granular material(GM)under external loads,such as ballast,rockfill and sand.The discrete element method(DEM)is one of the most popular methods for simulating GM as each particle is represented on its own.To study breakage mechanism of particle breakage,a cohesive contact mode is developed based on the GPU accelerated DEM code-Blaze-DEM.A database of the 3D geometry model of rock blocks is established based on the 3D scanning method.And an agglomerate describing the rock block with a series of non-overlapping spherical particles is used to build the DEM numerical model of a railway ballast sample,which is used to the DEM oedometric test to study the particles’breakage characteristics of the sample under external load.Furthermore,to obtain the meso-mechanical parameters used in DEM,a black-analysis method is used based on the laboratory tests of the rock sample.Based on the DEM numerical tests,the particle breakage process and mechanisms of the railway ballast are studied.All results show that the developed code can better used for large scale simulation of the particle breakage analysis of granular material.

MatDEM-fast matrix computing of the discrete element method

Discrete element method can effectively simulate the discontinuity,inhomogeneity and large deformation and failure of rock and soil.Based on the innovative matrix computing of the discrete element method,the highperformance discrete element software MatDEM may handle millions of elements in one computer,and enables the discrete element simulation at the engineering scale.It supports heat calculation,multi-field and fluidsolid coupling numerical simulations.Furthermore,the software integrates pre-processing,solver,postprocessing,and powerful secondary development,allowing recompiling new discrete element software.The basic principles of the DEM,the implement and development of the MatDEM software,and its applications are introduced in this paper.The software and sample source code are available online(http://matdem.com).

TRACTIVE PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS ON RADIALLY DEPLOYABLE WHEEL CONFIGURATION OF LUNAR ROVER VEHICLE BY DISCRETE ELEMENT METHOD

With the consideration of volume constraint of launch vehicle and trafficability of rover vehicle on lunar regolith terrain, a new design of radially deployable wheel is presented. For the purpose of achieving the meso-mechanics and dynamical behavior of lunar soil particles as well as macro-parameters of tractive performance for radially deployable wheel, the interaction between two types of wheel configurations and lunar soil particles is analyzed by means of discrete element method. The network of contact forces, the displacement vector chart, and the deformation of lunar soil beneath wheels are plotted. The equations of soil thrust, motion resistance, drawbar pull and driven torque are derived in granular scale based on the coordinates transformation and algebraic summation. The calculated results show that there is sufficient traction for both 6-split and 12-split radially deployable wheels with 304 mm outspread diameter to negotiate lunar regolith terrain specified here; the value of drawbar pull enhances with the increase of split number of radially deployable wheel, however, the required driven torque increases simultaneously, therefore, the tractive efficiency decreases.

A new method to simulate irregular particles by discrete element method

Granular materials are ubiquitous in nature and important in various applications such as road and railway engineering. Granular materials exhibit complicated mechanical behaviors, which are affected significantly by the irregular shape of particles. Currently, the discrete element method (DEM) has been accepted as an effective approach to investigate the mechanical behaviors of granular materials. However, there are scarce simulations based on DEM in literatures considering the irregularity of particle shape. A new method is proposed to simulate individual real particle with irregular shape using clump constituted by overlapping spheres. First, the geometric model of real particle with surface nodes and inner nodes is established through digitally processing the computerized tomography (CT) scanning data. Second, a clump consisting of spheres is generated to simulate the real particle using a minimum distance criterion. The criterion is implemented by tree optimization algorithm. Influential factors are also introduced to balance the model accuracy and computing cost. Effects of the influential factors, including the density of geometric grid and the minimum distance, on simulations are discussed. Results show that this new method is simpler and more efficient than the previous methods in terms of the model accuracy and computing cost.

Numerical Analysis of Ice Rubble with a Freeze-Bond Model in Dilated Polyhedral Discrete Element Method

Freezing in ice rubble is a common phenomenon in cold regions,which can consolidate loose blocks and change their mechanical properties.To model the cohesive effect in frozen ice rubble,and to describe the fragmentation behavior with a large external forces exerted,a freeze-bond model based on the dilated polyhedral discrete element method(DEM)is proposed.Herein,imaginary bonding is initialized at the contact points to transmit forces and moments,and the initiation of the damage is detected using the hybrid fracture model.The model is validated through the qualitative agreement between the simulation results and the analytical solution of two bonding particles.To study the effect of freeze-bond on the floating ice rubble,punch-through tests were simulated on the ice rubble under freezing and nonfreezing conditions.The deformation and resistance of the ice rubble are investigated during indenter penetration.The influence of the internal friction coefficient on the strength of the ice rubble is determined.The results indicate that the proposed model can properly describe the consolidated ice rubble,and the freeze-bond effect is of great significance to the ice rubble properties.

Comparison of undrained behaviors of granular media using fluidcoupled discrete element method and constant volume method

The fluid-coupled discrete element method(DEM)and the constant volume method as two types of discrete modeling methods for fundamental study of undrained responses of granular materials,have been discussed by many researchers.The fluid-coupled DEM,which couples the motions of discrete particles with pore fluid movements,is theoretically robust although it requires a large amount of computation time.As a substitution for the complex fluid-coupled DEM,the constant volume method simulates an undrained condition for a saturated granular material by simply preserving the total volume of a granular assembly without considering interactions between fluids and particles;hence,the validity of its results is questionable.In this paper,the undrained behaviors of granular assemblies simulated using the aforementioned two methods are compared.Based on a comparison of both macroscopic and microscopic responses given by the two methods,it is demonstrated that the constant volume method may reasonably simulate the responses of a loose saturated granular material with very coarse grains,which has a high permeability,and thus a rapid pore pressure equalization.However,it is ineffective in simulating the responses of a loose material with fine components due to its failure to capture the process of a slow dissipation of the excess pore pressure among the individual pores.With regard to the dense material adopted,similar behaviors at the early and intermediate shearing stages given by the two methods are displayed.

Simulation of a Laboratory Scale Ball Mill via Discrete Element Method Modelling

Discrete Element Method (DEM) is a powerful tool for simulating different types of mills. It also used for computing different types of particles such as rocks, grains, and molecules. DEM has been widely used in the field of rock mechanics. In the present work, DEM approach is applied to model the milling media (powder particles and balls) inside a planetary ball mill and to estimate the distribution of particles of a dry powder during milling. In fact, the efficiency of the DEM strongly depends on the input parameters. The DEM simulation results indicated that DEM is a promising tool for the simulation of the dynamic particles motion and interactions within planetary ball mill. These results could be utilized to further develop the synthesis performance, anticipate the reaction, and reduce the wear in the dry milling reactions.

Landslide dynamic process and parameter sensitivity analysis by discrete element method: the case of Turnoff Creek rock avalanche

The great diversity and complexity of geological hazards in terms of flowing materials,environment,triggering mechanisms and physical processes during the flow bring great difficulties to the numerical parameter selection for the discrete element method.In order to identity the significance of individual parameters on the landslides dynamic process and provide valuable contribution to the runout analysis of similar landslide,the dynamic process and associated microscopic mechanism of the Turnoff Creek rock avalanche in Canada are simulated.The present numerical results are compared with the field survey data and the results of depth-integrated continuum method.The final deposit range matches well with the field survey data.It is illustrated that the discrete element method is robust and feasible to capture the dynamic characteristics of large rock avalanche over a complex terrain.Besides,a new method to assess the landslide hazard level based on the discrete element method is proposed.According to the parameter sensitivity analysis,it is demonstrated that the basal friction coefficient and bond strength are essential to the final deposit while rolling coefficient and restitution coefficient have little effects on it.

Applicability of discrete element method with spherical and clumped particles for constitutive study of granular materials

Discrete element method(DEM)has been intensively used to study the constitutive behaviour of granular materials.However,to what extent a real granular material can be reproduced by virtual DEM simulations remains unclear.This study attempts to answer this question by comparing DEM simulations with typical features of experimental granular materials.Three groups of models with spherical and clumped particles are investigated from four perspectives:(i)deviatoric stress and volumetric behaviour;(ii)critical state behaviour;(iii)stress-dilatancy relationship;and(iv)the evolution of principal stress ratio against axial strain.The results demonstrate that DEM with spherical or clumped particles is capable of qualitatively describing macroscopic deviatoric stress responses,volumetric behaviour,and critical state behaviour observed in experiments for granular materials.On the other hand,some qualitative deviations between experiments and the investigated DEM simulations are also observed,in terms of the stress-dilatancy behaviour and principal stress ratio against axial strain,which are proven to be critical for constitutive modelling.The results demonstrate that DEM with spherical or clumped particles may not necessarily fully capture experimental features of granular materials even from a qualitative perspective.It is thus encouraged to thoroughly validate DEM with experiments when developing constitutive models based on DEM observations.

Modeling calving process of glacier with dilated polyhedral discrete element method

Mass loss caused by glacier calving is one of the direct contributors to global sea level rise.Reliable calving laws are required for accurate modelling of ice sheet mass balance.Both continuous and discontinuous methods have been used for glacial calving simulations.In this study,the discrete element method(DEM)based on dilated polyhedral elements is introduced to simulate the calving process of a tidewater glacier.Dilated polyhedrons can be obtained from the Minkowski sum of a sphere and a core polyhedron.These elements can be utilized to generate a continuum ice material,where the interaction force between adjacent elements is modeled by constructing bonds at the joints of the common faces.A hybrid fracture model considering fracture energy is introduced.The viscous creep behavior of glaciers on long-term scales is not considered.By applying buoyancy and gravity to the modelled glacier,DEM results show that the calving process is caused by cracks which are initialized at the top of the glacier and spread to the bottom.The results demonstrate the feasibility of using the dilated polyhedral DEM method in glacier simulations,additionally allowing the fragment size of the breaking fragments to be counted.The relationship between crack propagation and internal stress in the glacier is analyzed during calving process.Through the analysis of the Mises stress and the normal stress between the elements,it is found that geometric changes caused by the glacier calving lead to the redistribution of the stress.The tensile stress between the elements is the main influencing factor of glacier ice failure.In addition,the element shape,glacier base friction and buoyancy are studied,the results show that the glacier model based on the dilated polyhedral DEM is sensitive to the above conditions.