Stress Recovery Procedure for the Bonded Particle Model

Abstract

In the simulation of discontinuous block systems, the discrete element method (DEM) has better computational efficiency and convergence than the finite element method (FEM). When several DEM particles are bonded together with parallel bonds (the bonded particle model, BPM), various shapes and block fractures can be simulated. The main aim of the BPM is to simulate a continuous material in which the stress distribution is continuous. Since the existing stress result for a single particle is an average value over the particle’s area, stress results do not exist in the area between particles. In this paper, the stress value for a single two-dimensional DEM particle is deduced. A stress recovery procedure with a linear stress function for a triangular element generated by the centroids of three bonded particles is proposed. In this way, the recovered stress field for the whole mesh composed of all triangular elements is continuous. A stress gradient exists in the whole mesh. This can also provide more accurate stress values for judging a fracture inside a block. Symmetrical and asymmetrical models are simulated by the BPM and FEM. Similar to the FEM results, the recovered stress results for the BPM can describe the stress distribution in the simulated continuous blocks. For the model with the theoretical stress solution, the recovered result and the theoretical solution coincide well.