TY - JOUR
T1 - A spherical-harmonic-based approach to discrete element modeling of 3D irregular particles
AU - Wang, Xiang
AU - Yin, Zhen Yu
AU - Xiong, Hao
AU - Su, Dong
AU - Feng, Yun Tian
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors acknowledge the financial support provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Grant No. 52090084, No. 51938008, No. 51878416 and the Research Grants Council, University Grants Committee Hong Kong, Grant No.15209119, R5037‐18F.
Funding Information:
National Natural Science Foundation of China, 51878416; 51938008; 52090084; Research Grants Council, University Grants Committee Hong Kong, R5037‐18F Funding information
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
PY - 2021/10/30
Y1 - 2021/10/30
N2 - Different from previous discrete element methods (DEM), where irregular 3D particle shapes are approximated by subspheres, vertices, or voxels, this study aims to develop an innovative and computationally effective DEM method directly employing spherical harmonic functions for simulations of 3D irregular-shaped particles. First, the discrete surface points of a 3D irregular-shaped particle are represented by spherical harmonic functions with only a limited number of harmonic coefficients to restore the particle morphology. Then, the intrinsic physical quantities are computed directly using spherical harmonic functions. Next, specific algorithms for interparticle overlapping detection and contact resolution involving the spherical harmonic functions are developed. Subsequently, the interparticle contact forces, moments, and particle movements are computed. The feasibility and capability of the proposed 3D method are verified by simulating random deposition of superellipsoids, repose angle tests, and triaxial tests on particles with various shapes. The proposed method could pave a viable pathway for realistic modeling of granular media pertaining to various engineering and industrial processes.
AB - Different from previous discrete element methods (DEM), where irregular 3D particle shapes are approximated by subspheres, vertices, or voxels, this study aims to develop an innovative and computationally effective DEM method directly employing spherical harmonic functions for simulations of 3D irregular-shaped particles. First, the discrete surface points of a 3D irregular-shaped particle are represented by spherical harmonic functions with only a limited number of harmonic coefficients to restore the particle morphology. Then, the intrinsic physical quantities are computed directly using spherical harmonic functions. Next, specific algorithms for interparticle overlapping detection and contact resolution involving the spherical harmonic functions are developed. Subsequently, the interparticle contact forces, moments, and particle movements are computed. The feasibility and capability of the proposed 3D method are verified by simulating random deposition of superellipsoids, repose angle tests, and triaxial tests on particles with various shapes. The proposed method could pave a viable pathway for realistic modeling of granular media pertaining to various engineering and industrial processes.
KW - computational particle mechanics
KW - contact detection and resolution
KW - discrete element method
KW - irregular-shaped particles
KW - spherical harmonics
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85110943904&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/nme.6766
DO - 10.1002/nme.6766
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85110943904
SN - 0029-5981
VL - 122
SP - 5626
EP - 5655
JO - International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering
JF - International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering
IS - 20
ER -