Using distributed contacts in DEM

Granular flows in shear cells have been extensively studied using the Discrete Element Method (DEM) over the last two decades. These studies have typically been performed using the soft-sphere approach where deformation is assumed elastic and small relative to the characteristic grain scale. Consequently internal stresses and strains are not able to be modelled. As a first step towards addressing these limitations, we introduce a variant of DEM, the Distributed Contact DEM (DCDEM). This method models distributed normal and frictional contacts. In this initial implementation plastic deformation is not simulated and elastic deformation is simulated by permitting overlap as in traditional DEM. The method is compared against traditional DEM for a normal and oblique impact and a granular shear cell in the small deformation limit.