On the Identification of the Contact Parameters of the Discrete Element Method for Complex Particle Ensembles

Abstract

AbstractThe Discrete Element Method (DEM) is a particle‐based approach, which is applied in a wide range of engineering fields. One problem of the DEM is the identification of the required input parameters that govern the material behavior. In this study, we develop an analytical prediction based on an energy minimization approach relating the macroscopic elastic parameters to the microscopic contact parameters. In order to validate these relations, a series of confined and unconfined compression tests are performed by PFC3D. A more complex version of materials containing a mixture of different types of particle ensembles are used to study the effect of bonding and grain shape on the elastic properties of the materials. This study covered both solid (bonded) and granular (unbonded) materials.