Discrete Element Methods for the Study of Unconsolidated Granular Materials through Computational Modeling
A numerical code based on Discrete Element Modeling (DEM) has been developed for computing the response of particulate materials such as unconsolidated granular materials, concentrated emulsions or fractured rocks. The systems under study in this project may be considered as "unconsolidated" aggregates of particulate materials which acquire stiffness as a result of the applied stress. The constitutive properties of such materials, which also include cohesionless soils, industrial powders, droplets, foams and colloidal suspensions, are determined mainly by interparticle contact properties such as friction and viscoelastic response. The project resulted in the development and testing of a numerical code for the two-dimensional case. The code is written in Fortran 90 and is ready to be ported to a parallel architecture.
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