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ParticLS: Object-oriented software for discrete element methods and peridynamics

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Abstract

ParticLS (Particle Level Sets) is a software library that implements the discrete element method (DEM) and meshfree methods. ParticLS tracks the interaction between individual particles whose geometries are defined by level sets capable of capturing complex shapes. These particles either represent rigid bodies or material points within a continuum. Particle-particle interactions using various contact laws numerically approximate solutions to energy and mass conservation equations, simulating rigid body dynamics or deformation/fracture. By leveraging multiple contact laws, ParticLS can simulate interacting bodies that deform, fracture, and are composed of many particles. In the continuum setting, we numerically solve the peridynamic equations—integro-differential equations capable of modeling objects with discontinuous displacement fields and complex fracture dynamics. We show that the discretized peridynamic equations can be solved using the same software infrastructure that implements the DEM. Therefore, we design a unique software library where users can easily add particles with arbitrary geometries and new contact laws that model either rigid-body interaction or peridynamic constitutive relationships. We demonstrate ParticLS’ versatility on test problems meant to showcase features applicable to a broad selection of fields such as tectonics, granular media, multiscale simulations, glacier calving, and sea ice.

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Notes

  1. Although we have assumed that particles are convex, this method is compatible for non-convex particles with minimal alterations. In the non-convex case, multiple contact points are possible and each potential contact point corresponds to a local minimum of Eq. (14). We can identify these local solutions by repeatedly solving the optimization problem with different initial guesses. The details of the non-convex case are beyond the scope of this paper and we, therefore, leave further discussion to future work.

  2. Note that the SDFs will always have the same sign.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge funding provided by the Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC) Future Innovation Funds (FIF) program. Since writing this paper, author Andrew D. Davis has moved from the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Labs to the Courant Institute at New York University, where he is funded by the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative—ONR N00014-19-1-2421.

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  1. Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, 72 Lyme Rd, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA

    Andrew D. Davis, Brendan A. West, Nathanael J. Frisch, Devin T. O’Connor & Matthew D. Parno

  2. NYU—Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, 251 Mercer Street, New York, NY, 10012, USA

    Andrew D. Davis

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Davis, A.D., West, B.A., Frisch, N.J. et al. ParticLS: Object-oriented software for discrete element methods and peridynamics. Comp. Part. Mech. 9, 1–13 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40571-021-00392-3

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