DISCRETE ELEMENT METHOD (DEM)
A discrete element method (DEM), also called a distinct element method is a mesh-free method for computing the motion of a large number of particles of micron-scale size and above. Today DEM is becoming widely accepted as an effective method of addressing engineering problems in granular and discontinuous materials, especially in granular flows, powder mechanics, and rock mechanics.
Particles interact with their nearest neighbours by free elastic, brittle-elastic "bonded" or frictional forces and the motion of the particles is calculated by updating the velocities of each particles from the sum of the forces exerted on that particle using Newton's law.
The software package to be used is "ESyS-Particle", a fully parallel DEM implementation. The parallelization is based on a distributed memory approach using MPI as the communication library. The software is running a unix-like operating system (Linux) and large clusters.
DEM Publications
Papers
Discrete element modeling of boudinage: Insights on rock rheology, matrix flow, and evolution of geometry. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 117, B01407, 13 PP., 2012 doi:10.1029/2011JB008555 (2012)
Breaking up: Comminution mechanisms in sheared simulated fault gouge. Pure and Applied Geophysics Special Issue on Brittle deformation of solid and granular materials with applications to mechanics of earthquakes and faults. DOI: 10.1007/s00024-011-0266-6 (2011)
DEM Simulation of Normal Faults in cohesive Materials, Tectonophysics 512, 12-21. (2011)
The impact of porosity and crack density on the elasticity, strength and friction of cohesive granular materials: Insights from DEM modelling. International Journal of Rock Mechanics & Mining Sciences 46(2), 250-261. (2009)
Effects of gouge fragment shape on fault friction: New 3D modelling results. Geophysical Research Letters. 36, L23302, doi:10.1029/2009GL040684. (2009)
3D numerical simulations of fault gouge evolution during shear: Grain size reduction and strain localization. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 274(1-2), 72-81. (2008)
Abstracts
Performance benchmarking results for a parallel implementation of the
discrete element method. EGU General Assembly 2012. Geophysical Research Abstracts
Vol. 14, EGU2012-7996-1, 2012 (2012)
DEM modeling of fracture propagation in veined rock. EGU General Assembly 2012. Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 14, EGU2012-7426, 2012. (2012)
Discrete Element Modelling of Boudinage in 3D. EGU General Assembly 2012. Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 14, EGU2012-2646, 2012. (2012)
Generation of Random Particle Packings for Discrete Element Models. EGU General Assembly 2012. Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 14, EGU2012-7943-1, 2012. (2012)
DEM Modelling of Comminution Processes in Fault Gouge. EGU General Assembly. Geophysical Research Abstracts, 13, pp. EGU2011-1293. Room 28 / Tue, 05 Apr, 10:45-11:00, oral (2011)
A new method for modelling of coupled brittle-ductile deformation. Geotag 2011, RWTH Aachen University. (2011)
Internal Dynamics of salt structures. Alpine Salt 2011: A workshop on Alpine Evaporites, Salzburg, Austria. 31 March. Invited Talk (2011)
Discrete Element Modeling of Boudinage. TSK13, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 6-12. 4. 2010, 1. (2010)
3D DEM Modelling of Fault Roughness Evolution. EGU General Assembly, Vienna, Austria, 12, EGU2010-9420. (2010)
DEM Simulations of Fault Gouge Processes - where we stand, where we'll go. EGU General Assembly, Vienna, Austria, 1607-7962, 12, EGU2010-9378. (2010)
Simulating Fault Gouge Dynamics. 22th Kongsberg seminar "Physics of hydrocarbon-bearing systems", Kongsberg, Norway, 6-9 May (2009)
Fault Gouge, Grain Shape and Friction - new Results from 3D DEM Simulations. EGU General Assembly 2009, Vienna, Austria, 19 - 24 April 2009, 11. (2009)
DEM Simulation of Clay Smear along Faults. EGU General Assembly 2009, Vienna, Austria, 19 - 24 April 2009, 11. (2009)
The formation of open fractures in brittle rocks and the evolution of permeability with fault slip- results from analogue and numerical models. EGU General Assembly 2009, Vienna, Austria, 19 - 24 April 2009, 11. (2009)
From Fault Seal to Fault Leak: Effect of Mechanical Stratigraphy on the Evolution of Transport Processes in Fault Zones. AGU 90 Fall Meet. (2009)
Effects of gouge fragment shape on fault friction: New 3D modeling results. AGU 90 Fall Meet. (2009)
How do Things break in Fault Gouge ? Abrasion vs. Grain splitting in Discrete Element Simulations. EGU General Assembly 2008, Vienna, Austria, 10. (2008)
Discrete Element Simulation of Normal Faulting In cohesive Materials. Geo 2008; International Conference and 106th annual meeting of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Geowissenschaften e. V. (DGG) and 98th annual meeting of the Geologische Vereinigung e.V. (G (2008)
Discrete Element Simulations of the formation of open fractures during normal faulting of cohesive materials. Third International Geomodelling Conference, Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale, Florence, Italy, September 22, 2008, (2008)
DEM Simulation of shear induced mixing in layered Sand-Clay Sequences. EGU General Assembly 2008, Vienna, Austria, 10. (2008)
DEM Simulation of normal faulting in cohesive materials The 27th IUGG Conference on Mathematical Geophysics, Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen, Norway, June 15 - 20, 2008, 22. (2008)
Distinct Element Method (DEM) Modelling of Laboratory to Outcrop-Scale Fracturing of Natural Rocks. Joint Annual Meeting : GSA, ASA, CSSA, SSSA, GCACS, George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston, USA, 5-9 October, 129-4. (2008)
Elasticity, strength, friction and porosity relations in Discrete Element Method (DEM) models of cohesive granular materials. Tectonics Studies Group Annual Meeting, La Roche-en-Ardenne, Belgium, 8th-11th January, 2008, 84-85. (2008)
Discrete Element Simulation of the formation of open Fractures during normal faulting of cohesive Materials. EGU General Assembly 2008, Vienna, Austria, 10. (2008)
The formation of open fractures in scaled analogue and numerical experiments. Third International Geomodelling Conference, Florence, Italy, September 23, 2008, Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale, 49, 338-342. (2008)
The Effect of mechanical stratigraphy on the evolution of transport processes in fault zones. Geo 2008; International Conference and 106th annual meeting of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Geowissenschaften e. V. (DGG) and 98th annual meeting of the Geologi (2008)