A contact dynamics approach to the Granular Element Method

We present a contact dynamics (CD) approach to the Granular Element Method (GEM) Andrade et al. (2012) [1], abbreviated here as CD-GEM. By combining particle shape flexibility through Non-Uniform Rational Basis Splines, properties of implicit time-integration discretization (e.g., larger time steps) and non-penetrating constraints, as well as a reduction to a static formulation in the limit of an infinite time step, CD-GEM targets system properties and deformation regimes in which the classical discrete element method either performs poorly or simply fails; namely, in granular systems comprising of rigid or highly stiff angular particles and subjected to quasi-static or intense dynamic flow conditions. The integration of CD and GEM is made possible while significantly simplifying implementation and maintaining comparable performance with existing CD approaches. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.