Computational costs of DEM models implemented by using OpenCL on GPU

Abstract

The discrete element method (DEM) opened new vistas in modelling of materials. Concept of the DEM presents numerical methodology, providing quantitative description of granular media by considering motion and deformation behaviour of individual particles in the frame of Newtonian mechanics. Nowadays DEM is acknowledged to be an effective procedure extended to cohesive powders, fracture, fluidized environments and couplings with different multi-physics. The main disadvantage of the DEM is related to computational capabilities that are limited by a huge number of particles and a short time step required in simulations. Naturally, to solve the industrial-scale problems the massively parallel architecture of GPUs and GPGPU computing are the obvious options for significantly increasing computational capabilities.