Convergence study for the discrete particle method

Abstract

The Discrete Particle Method (DPM) is a numerical technique in the class of the discrete element methods for the modeling of cementitious material in the pre- and post-failure regimes. Because the DPM is not based on continuum mechanics, the conventional convergence properties of Galerkin based methods, such as the finite element method, are not expected to apply. This chapter presents the results of a study to assess the convergence properties of the DPM for elastic problems. The DPM belongs to the general class of methods denoted as discrete element methods. The benchmark problem is based on the vibrations of a concrete beam free in space. Axial oscillations are used to adjust DPM model parameters, bending oscillations are used to test convergence characteristics. Results show that the DPM solution converges to the equivalent converged finite element solution.