Investigation of the geometric rolling resistance in DEM simulations of piling

Abstract

Since the publication of the work by Cundall and Strack in 1979, the discrete element method (DEM) has become the most popular technique used to investigate granular assemblies by numerical simulations. The DEM was initially aimed at simulating spherical particles, however, the diversity of real particle shapes required new more sophisticated particle models. In the present paper the rolling resistance of individual particles resulting from particle geometry is investigated. It enables to consider non-sphericity of real non-round particles described by spherical models. This approach is applied to simulate the formation of 3D pile. Piling and evaluation of the repose angle of the pile is frequently explored to characterize particle properties by dynamic experiments. The pile is formed via hopper discharge, while the repose angle is defined from the pile slope.