椭圆形颗粒堆积体模拟颗粒材料力学性能的离散元数值方法

针对离散元中圆形颗粒模拟出的内摩擦角小于真实砂土内摩擦角的缺陷,将已有NS2D离散元程序中的圆形颗粒参量改进为椭圆形颗粒参量,形成改进的NS2D程序。介绍了改进后NS2D程序的基本力学模型,详细推导了程序中椭圆颗粒间以及椭圆颗粒与墙之间接触点的力-位移关系。利用改进后的离散元程序分别模拟了恒定围压下长短轴比例分别为1.1:1、1.4:1,孔隙比均为0.19的椭圆颗粒堆积体的双轴试验,所得的内摩擦角在真实砂土的内摩擦角范围之内,且其应力特征与已有成果吻合良好,证明了改进后的NS2D离散元程序能够模拟分析真实砂土的力学性能     

粗粒料多边形表征及二维FEM/DEM分析

考虑到颗粒形状对粗粒料的力学特性有重大影响,提出了一种新的表征颗粒形状的方法,即在椭圆上随机选取一系列点连接成多边形颗粒,表征狭长扁平的颗粒。新方法较圆上取点的方法能代表更多类型的颗粒形状,适用范围更广。提出了一种新的粗粒料投放算法,即先缩小颗粒,然采用随机算法将缩小的颗粒投放至给定区域,对颗粒划分好网格后,将颗粒放大到原来的大小,然后采用有限元-离散元(FEM/DEM)方法计算稳定后即生成了相应的试样。通过将上述颗粒生成及投放算法与FEM/DEM结合,应用于粗粒料的数值模拟。分析表明,FEM/DEM是研究粗粒料力学性质的较好方法,对复杂的颗粒形状也可简单建模,且因在颗粒内部划分了有限元网格,复杂的接触判断及接触力计算转化为标准统一的三角形和三角形之间的接触判断及接触力计算,所有的计算均可标准化、统一化。同时因为颗粒是可以变形的,依然保留了连续介质力学中应力和应变的概念,无须像PFC那样需通过测量圆来间接表示某点的应力、应变。最后,通过粗粒料的侧限压缩试验的数值模拟,展现了文中提出的一整套解决方案在模拟粗粒料方面的巨大潜力。     

Potential particles: a method for modelling non-circular particles in DEM

Options for defining non-circular (or non-spherical) particles in DEM codes are briefly reviewed before introducing a new concept: potential particles. This method can be used to define convex particles with a wide variety of shapes, from almost polygonal to circular. It is readily applicable in both two and three dimensions. Although contact detection and overlap calculations are not as fast as for circular particles, they can nevertheless be made sufficiently simple and fast for implementation in DEM codes.     

Simulations of realistic granular soils in oedometer tests using physics engine

Discrete element method (DEM) has become a preeminent numerical tool for investigating the mechanical behavior of granular soils. However, traditional DEM uses sphere clusters to approximate realistic particles, which is computationally demanding when simulating many particles. This paper demonstrates the potential of using a physics engine technique to simulate realistic particles. The physics engines are originally developed for video games for simulating physical and mechanical processes that occur in the real world to produce realistic game experiences. The simulation accuracy and efficiency of physics engines have been significantly improved in the last two decades allowing them to be used as a scientific tool in many disciplines. This paper introduces modeling methodologies of physics engine including realistic particle representation and the contact model. Then, oedometer tests are simulated using realistic particles scanned by X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT). The simulation results agree well with experimental results. This paper demonstrates that physics engines can output contact parameters for geotechnical analysis and force chains for visualization.     

一种有限元转化为颗粒离散元的方法及其应用研究

为了充分发挥有限元与颗粒离散元各自的优势,提出了一种由有限元转化为颗粒流的方法。数值模型首先用较粗的有限元网格进行离散,并在单元上引入连续介质本构模型。力学计算开始后,实时跟踪各单元的应力状态。一旦某单元的应力满足Mohr-Coulomb准则或最大拉应力准则,删除该单元,同时创建具有一定数目、随机分布且微嵌入的颗粒簇。其后,该单元所在区域的非连续变形及失稳断裂由颗粒簇演化获得。各颗粒的质量、材料参数、速度、位移、接触力等信息根据插值从有限元单元中继承。为了实现有限元与颗粒流接触面的耦合计算,引入了点-棱（二维）及点-面（三维）接触模型,通过法向及切向弹簧实现接触力的计算。颗粒球与有限元板的碰撞分析、单轴压缩、岩石切割等案例展示了上述方法的精确性及合理性。     

Study on the particle breakage of ballast based on a GPU accelerated discrete element method

Breakage of particles will have greatly influence on mechanical behavior of granular material(GM)under external loads,such as ballast,rockfill and sand.The discrete element method(DEM)is one of the most popular methods for simulating GM as each particle is represented on its own.To study breakage mechanism of particle breakage,a cohesive contact mode is developed based on the GPU accelerated DEM code-Blaze-DEM.A database of the 3D geometry model of rock blocks is established based on the 3D scanning method.And an agglomerate describing the rock block with a series of non-overlapping spherical particles is used to build the DEM numerical model of a railway ballast sample,which is used to the DEM oedometric test to study the particles’breakage characteristics of the sample under external load.Furthermore,to obtain the meso-mechanical parameters used in DEM,a black-analysis method is used based on the laboratory tests of the rock sample.Based on the DEM numerical tests,the particle breakage process and mechanisms of the railway ballast are studied.All results show that the developed code can better used for large scale simulation of the particle breakage analysis of granular material.     

An algorithm for detecting inter-ellipsoid contacts

An inter-ellipsoid contact detection algorithm was developed and used for simulating the behaviour of assemblies of ellipsoid-shaped particles using the well-known discrete element method (DEM). The contact algorithm was implemented in the modified version of the DEM program TRUBAL originally written to simulate the behaviour of assemblies of spheres. The modified program was used to perform deviatoric and axisymmetric compression tests on a 1000 prolate spheroid assembly in periodic space. The obtained stress–strain–dilation curves conform with the experimental evidence both qualitatively and quantitatively.     

人工胶结砂土力学特性的离散元模拟

采用离散单元法（DEM）对胶结砂土力学特性进行模拟。将基于室内试验测得的理想胶结颗粒接触力学响应引入到开发的二维离散元程序（NS2D）中,模拟胶结砂土颗粒间的胶结作用。对不同胶结强度和围压的胶结砂土进行平面应变双轴压缩试验模拟,并将模拟结果与Wang和Leung[1]提供的人工胶结砂土的试验结果进行比较。最后对数值模拟中胶结试样的微观力学响应（接触力链、胶结点破坏率和位移场）进行分析。结果表明,离散元数值模拟能够有效地反映胶结砂土的主要力学特性,相比同一初始孔隙比的无胶结松散砂土,胶结砂土将具有更高的强度,应力-应变关系呈应变软化,体变为先剪缩后剪胀,且两者的差异随胶结强度的增大和围压的减小而越趋显著。此外,胶结砂土宏观力学响应（应力-应变关系和剪胀性）与其微观力学响应密切相关。     

Setting up virgin stress conditions in discrete element models

In the present work, a methodology for setting up virgin stress conditions in discrete element models is proposed. The developed algorithm is applicable to discrete or coupled discrete/continuum modeling of underground excavation employing the discrete element method (DEM). Since the DEM works with contact forces rather than stresses there is a need for the conversion of pre-excavation stresses to contact forces for the DEM model. Different possibilities of setting up virgin stress conditions in the DEM model are reviewed and critically assessed. Finally, a new method to obtain a discrete element model with contact forces equivalent to given macroscopic virgin stresses is proposed. The test examples presented show that good results may be obtained regardless of the shape of the DEM domain.     

Hierarchical multiscale numerical modelling of internal erosion with discrete and finite elements

This paper presents a coupled finite and discrete-element model (FEM and DEM) to simulate internal erosion. The model is based on ICY, an interface between COMSOL, an FEM engine, and YADE, a DEM code. With this model, smaller DEM subdomains are generated to simulate particle displacements at the grain scale. Particles in these small subdomains are subjected to buoyancy, gravity, drag and contact forces for short time steps (0.1 s). The DEM subdomains provide the macroscale (continuum) model with a particle flux distribution. Through a mass conservation equation, the flux distribution allows changes in porosity, hydraulic conductivity and hydraulic gradient to be evaluated for the same time steps at a larger, continuum scale. The updated hydraulic gradients from the continuum model provide the DEM subdomains with updated hydrodynamic forces based on a coarse-grid method. The number of particles in the DEM subdomains is also updated based on the new porosity distribution. The hierarchical multiscale model (HMM) was validated with the simulation of suffusion. Results for the proposed HMM algorithm are consistent with results based on a DEM model incorporating the full sample and simulation duration. The proposed HMM algorithm could enable the modelling of internal erosion for soil volumes that are too large to be modelled with a single DEM subdomain.

     

冻结黏土三轴试验微观变形机理的离散元分析

基于三维颗粒离散单元法,赋予颗粒相应的细观参数,并采用黏结发生在接触颗粒间有限范围内的模型来考虑冻土颗粒中冰的胶结作用,建立了冻结黏土三维离散元数值模型.在相同围压、不同温度和相同温度、不同围压下对冻结黏土的室内三轴试验进行数值模拟,对比了数值试验与室内测试的应力-应变曲线,两者吻合较好.数值模拟结果表明:围压增大会使得接触黏结逐渐失效,在剪切带中胶结冰的破坏区域将增大,而温度的降低则会产生相反结果,这些微观变化都将对冻结黏土的宏观力学变形产生较大影响,同时,细观参数对温度的依赖性也很明显.冻结黏土三轴试验微观变形离散元模拟思路及方法可为今后运用离散单元法研究冻土力学行为提供一定的参考.     

基于B-DEM的颗粒聚合体应力计算和破碎路径模拟

结合边界元法和离散元法,提出一种可以进行计算颗粒内部应力和破碎路径的方法。该方法利用离散元法求解颗粒的相互作用和每个颗粒上的荷载。然后利用边界元法计算颗粒的应力分布,为了实现动态平衡,将颗粒的加速度视为恒定大小的体力。但体力导致边界积分方程中出现域积分,故采用直线积分法将域积分转化为边界积分,以保证边界元法降维的优势。为了提高边界元的计算效率,对于几何形状相似的颗粒,以其中一个颗粒作为模板颗粒,只需要计算模板颗粒在局部坐标系中的系数矩阵,其他相似颗粒可以通过局部和全局坐标系之间的映射获得。在得到应力后,基于Hoek-Brown准则来判断颗粒是否破碎。此外,将破坏路径简化为直线,并采用最小二乘法拟合得到破坏路径。     

Size-dependent mechanical behavior of an intergranular bond revealed by an analytical model

The size of intergranular bonds significantly affects the macroscopic mechanical properties of geomaterials. A size-dependent bond contact model is desired in the distinct element method (DEM) for geomaterials formed by aggregates of bonded particles. This paper proposes an analytical solution of highly-precise stress fields of a biconcave bond between two identical disc-shaped particles under different loading paths based on Dvorkin’s solution. The Unified Strength theory is then introduced to obtain the initial failure domain in the bond. The proposed solution is consistent with results predicted by finite element simulations and experimental observations. The functions of bond stiffness with respect to all influencing parameters, i.e. bond width/thickness, particle radius and elastic parameters of bond material, are provided by the solution and empirically formulated by fitting a large number of analytical results. Additionally, the failure criterion or envelope under different combined loads is formulated for typical brittle bonds. The resulting failure criterion, approximated as an ellipsoid, depends on the size and material properties of the bonds. The proposed solution and equation can be implemented into a bond contact model used in DEM simulations of a geomaterial, where variation of bond sizes is significant and size-dependent contact model is important.     

Meshless numerical modeling of brittle–viscous deformation: first results on boudinage and hydrofracturing using a coupling of discrete element method (DEM) and smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH)

We have developed a new approach for the numerical modeling of deformation processes combining brittle fracture and viscous flow. The new approach is based on the combination of two meshless particle-based methods: the discrete element method (DEM) for the brittle part of the model and smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) for the viscous part. Both methods are well established in their respective application domains. The two methods are coupled at the particle scale, with two different coupling mechanisms explored: one is where DEM particles act as virtual SPH particles and one where SPH particles are treated like DEM particles when interacting with other DEM particles. The suitability of the combined approach is demonstrated by applying it to two geological processes, boudinage, and hydrofracturing, which involve the coupled deformation of a brittle solid and a viscous fluid. Initial results for those applications show that the new approach has strong potential for the numerical modeling of coupled brittle–viscous deformation processes.     

Discrete element modeling of dynamic behaviors of railway ballast under cyclic loading with dilated polyhedra

The dynamic behaviors of railway ballast under cyclic loading are simulated with discrete element method (DEM). Dilated polyhedra are constructed based on the Minkowski sum operator in order to resemble the irregular shapes of ballast particles. The polyhedral particle generation, contact detection between particles and contact laws are presented. Ballast box tests with periodic lateral boundaries are conducted to simulate the dynamics of the sleeper and ballast particles. The settlement and effective stiffness of ballast bed are investigated under cyclic loadings with five distinct frequencies. The settlement of ballast bed is significant in the first several cycles and increases with the number of cycles gradually. The higher frequency loading generates larger displacement in the same simulation time. The effective stiffness of ballast bed increases gradually. To study the effect of particles' sharpness, dilated polyhedra with different dilating radii and spherical particles are also developed. Simulation results show the sharper the ballast particles are, the smaller the produced settlement. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

层状地质体与地下工程开挖三维可视化

地质体与人造工程几何形态极其复杂,其三维可视化是地学的一个难题。通过多层DEM形成层状地质体界面,在此基础上,借助中轴变换技术概念,用地层厚度和地层中层面将地层的形状特征及拓扑关系表现出来,建立了一个判断地层任意位置属性值的方法,藉此运用空间插值技术、等值线生成技术、扫描表示技术等可视化技术将地层以及地下工程开挖绘制出来,避免了复杂的开挖体元属性及形体判断和开挖面与体元求交过程。采用此方法实现了某水电站地层与厂房基坑开挖三维可视化。     

Revisiting the existence of an effective stress for wet granular soils with micromechanics

A possible effective stress variable for wet granular materials is numerically investigated based on an adapted discrete element method (DEM) model for an ideal three‐phase system. The DEM simulations consider granular materials made of nearly monodisperse spherical particles, in the pendular regime with the pore fluid mixture consisting of distinct water menisci bridging particle pairs. The contact force‐related stress contribution to the total stresses is isolated and tested as the effective stress candidate for dense or loose systems. It is first recalled that this contact stress tensor is indeed an adequate effective stress that describes stress limit states of wet samples with the same Mohr‐Coulomb criterion associated with their dry counterparts. As for constitutive relationships, it is demonstrated that the contact stress tensor used in conjunction with dry constitutive relations does describe the strains of wet samples during an initial strain regime but not beyond. Outside this so‐called quasi‐static strain regime, whose extent is much greater for dense than loose materials, dramatic changes in the contact network prevent macroscale contact stress‐strain relationships to apply in the same manner to dry and unsaturated conditions. The presented numerical results also reveal unexpected constitutive bifurcations for the loose material, related to stick‐slip macrobehavior.     

Microscopic contact model of lunar regolith for high efficiency discrete element analyses

The grains of lunar regolith are characterized with rough surfaces, angular shapes and mutual adhesions due to short-range interactions. These features control the macroscopic mechanical behavior of lunar regolith but have not been completely captured by contact models in previous Discrete Element Method (DEM) analyses. In this paper, a simplified two-dimensional microscopic contact model is proposed for high efficiency DEM analyses of lunar regolith. The model consists of three components in the normal, tangential and rolling directions respectively, plus two new parameters. A shape parameter is used to control the rolling resistance ability at the contact area between two particles to capture the features of grain shape and interlocking. The second parameter, micro-separation, which denotes the nominal minimum distance between the molecules of the two contacting particles, is introduced to account for van der Waals force as the major component of the short-range interactions that contribute to the adhesion of regolith grains in lunar environment conditions. The novel model has been implemented in a two-dimensional DEM code for numerical simulations of biaxial compression tests on lunar regolith. The effects of interparticle friction, grain shape, lunar environment conditions and void ratio on the strength of lunar regolith were numerically investigated. The results show that soils in the simulated lunar environment exhibit greater strength and more apparent strain-softening and shear dilatancy than on the Earth. The proposed model can capture the main features of the mechanical behavior of lunar regolith (apparent cohesion and high peak friction angle) and a wide range of strength indices can be obtained by the contact model.