MercuryDPM

Abstract

MercuryDPM is a particle-simulation software developed open-source by a global network of researchers. It was designed ab initio to simulate realistic geometries and materials, thus it contains several unique features not found in any other particle simulation software. These features have been discussed in a companion paper published in the DEM7 conference proceedings; here we present several challenging setups implemented in MercuryDPM . Via these setups, we demonstrate the unique capability of the code to simulate and analyse highly complex geotechnical and industrial applications. The setups implemented include complex geometries such as (i) a screw conveyor, (ii) steady-state inflow conditions for chute flows, (iii) a confined conveyor belt to simulate a steady-state breaking wave, and (iii) a quasi-2D cylindrical slice to efficiently study shear flows. MercuryDPM is also parallel, which we showcase via a multi-million particle simulations of a rotating drum. We further demonstrate how to simulate complex particle interactions, including: (i) deformable, charged clay particles; and (ii) liquid bridges and liquid migration in wet particulates, (iii) non-spherical particles implemented via superquadrics. Finally, we show how to analyse and complex systems using the unique micro-macro mapping (coarse-graining) tool MercuryCG.