Space decomposition based parallelization solutions for the combined finite–discrete element method in 2D

Abstract

a b s t r a c tThe combined finiteediscrete element method (FDEM) belongs to a family of methods of computational mechanics of discontinua. The method is suitable for problems of discontinua, where particles are deformable and can fracture or fragment. The applications of FDEM have spread over a number of disciplines including rock mechanics, where problems like mining, mineral processing or rock blasting can be solved by employing FDEM. In this work, a novel approach for the parallelization of two-dimensional (2D) FDEM aiming at clusters and desktop computers is developed. Dynamic domain decomposition based parallelization solvers covering all aspects of FDEM have been developed. These have been implemented into the open source Y2D software package and have been tested on a PC cluster. The overall performance and scalability of the parallel code have been studied using numerical examples. The results obtained confirm the suitability of the parallel implementation for solving large scale problems.

Polyaxial stress-dependent permeability of a three-dimensional fractured rock layer

“…The complex relation between mechanical and hydraulic apertures of rough fractures can also have important influences on the fluid flow behaviour (Luo et al 2016); furthermore, due to the very expensive run-time of the 3D FEMDEM calculation based on the current processing power, the modelling domain is limited to metric scale. To compute larger-scale problems, parallelisation techniques may be employed in the FEMDEM computation (Lukas et al 2014). In addition, the method of upscaling small-scale modelling results with statistical and geomechanical properties preserved (Lei et al 2015b) can also be a possible solution.…”

GPU based parallel FDEM for analysis of cable structures

“…Different types of parallelisation solutions have therefore been explored, including the shared memory parallel computers [26,27], distributed memory parallel computers [28], hardware independent virtual parallel machine framework for FDEM [29], and the MPI static [30] and dynamic space decomposition [31]. Parallelization procedures utilize hardware in similar fashion: concurrent job execution on many processor cores working on a specific part of the domain with communication in-between.…”

Development of a GPGPU‐parallelized hybrid finite‐discrete element method for modeling rock fracture

“…The hybrid FDEM incorporates the advantages of both continuum and discontinuum methods and can realistically simulate the transition from continuum to discontinuum caused by rock fracture. Two main implementations of the hybrid FDEM include Y code [5][6][7][8] and the commercial code ELFEN. [9][10][11][12] Several attempts have been made to actively extend the Y code, such as Y-GEO, [13][14][15][16][17][18][19] IRAZU, [20][21][22] Solidity, [23][24][25][26][27][28][29] HOSS with MUNROU, 30,31 and Y-Flow.…”

“…To date, some successful parallel implementations of the hybrid FDEM codes using MPI (message‐passing interface) (eg,) and shared‐memory programming such as OpenMP (eg,) have been reported. Among these, Lukas et al proposed a novel approach for the parallelization of 2D hybrid FDEM using MPI and parallelization solvers based on dynamic domain decomposition and successfully applied the parallelized Y code to a large‐scale 2D problem on a PC cluster. Meanwhile, Lei et al successfully developed the concept of a virtual parallel machine for the hybrid FDEM using MPI, which can be adapted to various computer architectures ranging from few to thousands of CPU (central processing unit) cores.…”