Empirical assessment of the critical time increment in explicit particulate discrete element method simulations

Otsubo, M., O'Sullivan, C. and Shire, T. (2017) Empirical assessment of the critical time increment in explicit particulate discrete element method simulations. Computers and Geotechnics, 86, pp. 67-79. (doi: 10.1016/j.compgeo.2016.12.022)

Abstract

This contribution considers the critical time increment (Δtcrit) to achieve stable simulations using particulate discrete element method (DEM) codes that adopt a Verlet-type time integration scheme. The Δtcrit is determined by considering the maximum vibration frequency of the system. Based on a series of parametric studies, Δtcrit is shown to depend on the particle mass (m), the maximum contact stiffness (Kmax), and the maximum particle coordination number (CN,max). Empirical expressions relating Δtcrit to m, Kmax, and CN,max are presented; while strictly only valid within the range of simulation scenarios considered here, these can inform DEM analysts selecting appropriate Δtcrit values.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: The first author is supported by JASSO (Japan Student Services Organization) and an Imperial College Dixon Scholarship. The third author was supported by an EPSRC Doctoral Training Account. Data Statement: All data created during this research are openly available from Zenodo (https://zenodo.org/).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Shire, Dr Thomas
• Authors: Otsubo, M., O'Sullivan, C., and Shire, T.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Infrastructure and Environment
• Journal Name: Computers and Geotechnics
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0266-352X
• ISSN (Online): 1873-7633
• Published Online: 13 January 2017
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2017 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Computers and Geotechnics 86:67-69
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a creative commons license