Simplified Micro-Modeling of a Masonry Cross-Vault for Seismic Assessment Using the Distinct Element Method

The assessment of the seismic performance of unreinforced masonry cross-vaults is still a challenge in numerical analysis, due to complex curved geometries and bond patterns, and uncertainties related to the selection of adequate modeling strategies, including but not limited to that of material properties, damping scheme, and unit/joint...

Unwieldy Object Delivery With Nonholonomic Mobile Base: A Stable Pushing Approach

This letter addresses the problem of pushing manipulation with nonholonomic mobile robots. Pushing is a fundamental skill that enables robots to move unwieldy objects that cannot be grasped. We propose a stable pushing method that maintains stiff contact between the robot and the object to avoid consuming repositioning actions. We prove that...

Micromechanical simulation of porous asphalt mixture compaction using discrete element method (DEM)

The paper aims to simulate the micromechanical behavior of asphalt mixtures during the compaction process using the Discrete Element Method (DEM). The interactions between the components of a Porous Asphalt (PA) mixture were represented using an Elastic Viscoelastic Contact Model (EVCM), which is a user-defined model implemented in EDEM...

Numerical simulation of fluid-structure interaction between fishing wobbler and water

This paper deals with modeling, discretization, and numerical analysis of the two-way fluid-structure interaction between a fishing wobbler and a water stream. The structural domain is an assembly of several bodies that have multiple mutual structure-to-structure interactions. These interactions are mostly nonlinear contacts that significantly...

Calibration for discrete element modelling of railway ballast: A review

The discrete element method (DEM) has been confirmed as an effective numerical method for modelling railway ballast, and successfully used to analyse a wide range of ballast-related applications (e.g. geomaterials). However, there still exists some aspects under development. Among them, the model calibration can be the most significant one ...

Minimization of wear in a transfer chute by geometric optimization of convex pattern surface: A DEM study

Using bionic surface on the material equipment interface of bulk handling equipment is a promising solution for wear reduction. A bionic surface is a flat surface outfitted with a pattern of convexes that disrupt the natural sliding flow of bulk material. Previous numerical work has shown a significant reduction of wear of bionic surfaces...

Biomass pellet breakage: A numerical comparison between contact models

The breakage behaviour of biomass pellets with a diameter of 6 mm under uniaxial compression test was studied experimentally and numerically using the discrete element method (DEM). Two types of the available bonding contact models in EDEM software were used to compare the macroscopic properties including the maximum stress at failure, strain at...