Level set discrete element method for three-dimensional computations with triaxial case study

Abstract

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All you need is shape: Predicting shear banding in sand with LS-DEM

“…In recent years, an overarching characterization and simulation framework, the avatar paradigm, has been developed. It consists of two parts: one, level set imaging (LS-Imaging) [56], which characterizes granular assemblies from XRCT images into avatars, or mathematical representations of individual particles within the assemblies, and two, the level set discrete element method (LS-DEM) [30], a DEM variant which can take avatars from LS-Imaging as an input and simulates their mechanical behavior.…”

“…Therefore, a micromechanical model such as DEM [13] remains a necessary component for the inference of contact forces and related quantities. LS-DEM is one such model which is able to handle real, complex particle morphologies which enabled reproduction and prediction of the bulk behavior of small experimental specimens consisting of about 3,000 particles each [30].…”

“…The simulation of the avatar specimen is performed using LS-DEM [30] under the same external loading conditions as the experiment. Since one of the objectives of this study is to provide the best possible replication of the experiment, two crucial experimental details are implemented in silico: the actual kinematics of the loading platen that compresses the specimen and the flexible membrane used to confine the specimen.…”

“…LS-DEM is a variant of DEM that models particle shape via level set functions that represent the geometry of constituent particles [30]. When used to represent a particle in LS-DEM, a level set function is an implicit function whose value, at a given point, is the signed distance from that point to the surface of the particle: negative if the point lies inside the particle, positive if the point lies outside, and zero…”

A micro finite-element model for soil behaviour

“…The outcomes from these studies have highlighted the effect of overall particle shape on the rolling resistance mobilised by the multiple contact points between two particles. More advanced DEM studies using micro computed tomography (μCT) include the use of spherical harmonic-based principal component analysis (Zhou & Wang, 2017) and of nonuniform rational basis-splines and level set methods (Andrade et al, 2012;Kawamoto et al, 2016) to describe the morphological features of sand.…”