Analysis and implementation of the Smooth Discrete Element Method in AgX

Sammanfattning: We encounter granular materials on a daily basis. We walk up a gravel path or we eat our breakfast cereals. When handling granular materials on an industrial scale it is important to do so efficiently, to avoid unnecessary energy losses, wear and tear. To help designing efficient tools for handling these materials engineers uses numerical simulations. This project investigates the difference between the two main approaches to simulation of granular materials, the Smooth- and Non-smooth Discrete Element Methods by implementing the Smooth method into AgX dynamics were the Non-smooth method already is implemented, and then setup and execute a range of experiments to investigate their differences. The investigation shows both advantages and weaknesses for both methods. The result of simulations with smooth discrete element method are more consistent than with the nonsmooth discrete element method with respect to choice of time step and other parameters that can be chosen for the simulation. Smooth discrete element method have problems when it comes to extreme situations. The relative simulation time for system as large as treated by this project (more than1000) can not be shown to depend on the size of the system.