• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2007.05b
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• pp.3197-3202
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• 2007

An analysis program for pedestrian flow has been developed to investigate the flow patterns of passenger in railway stations. Analysis algorithms for pedestrian flow based on DEM(Discrete Element Method) are newly developed. There are lots of similarity between particle-laden two phase flow and passenger flow. The velocity component of 1st phase corresponds to the unit vector of calculation cell, each particle to passenger, volume fraction to population density and the particle velocity to the walking velocity, etc. And, the walking velocity of passenger is also represented by the function of population density. Key algorithms are developed to determine the position of passenger, population density and numbering to each passenger. By using the developed program, we compared the simulation results of the effects of the location and size of exit and elapsed time.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.161-176
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• 2010

Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations were developed to investigate the effectiveness of geosynthetic reinforcement and the effectiveness of maintenance techniques performed on a simulated ballast bed subjected to dynamic loading. The results from four samples subjected each one to a total of 425 load cycles are presented: one unreinforced and unmaintained sample, one unmaintained but reinforced sample, one unreinforced sample subjected to maintenance in the form of stoneblowing after 200 load cycles, and one unreinforced sample subjected to maintenance in the form of tamping after 200 load cycles. The obtained values of permanent deformation as a function of the applied number of load cycles for the four cases are presented together allowing a comparison of the effectiveness of each technique. Moreover, snapshots of the simulated track sections are presented at different moments of the simulations. The simulations indicated that the geosynthetic reinforcement may not be beneficial for the analyzed case while stoneblowing was the most effective maintenance technique.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2008.06a
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• pp.761-762
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• 2008

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2009.10a
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• pp.459-460
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• 2009

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.21-30
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• 2014

PURPOSES : Evaluation of input parameters determination procedure for dynamic analysis of aggregates in DEM. METHODS : In this research, the aggregate slump test and angularity test were performed as fundamental laboratory tests to determine input parameters of spherical particles in DEM. The heights spreads, weights of the simple tests were measured and used to calibrate rolling and static friction coefficients of particles. RESULTS : The DEM simulations with calibrated parameters showed good agreement with the laboratory test results for given dynamic condition. CONCLUSIONS : It is concluded that the employed calibration method can be applicable to determine rolling friction coefficient of DEM simulation for given dynamic conditions. However, further research is necessary to connect the result to the behavior of aggregate in packing and mixing process and to refine static friction coefficient.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.189-206
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• 2020

The accurate modeling of boundary conditions is important in simulations of the discrete element method (DEM) and can affect the numerical results significantly. In conventional triaxial compression (CTC) tests, the specimens are wrapped by flexible membranes allowing to deform freely. To accurately model the boundary conditions of CTC, new flexible boundary algorithms for 2D and 3D DEM simulations are proposed. The new algorithms are computationally efficient and easy to implement. Moreover, both horizontal and vertical component of confining pressure are considered in the 2D and 3D algorithms, which can ensure that the directions of confining pressure are always perpendicular to the specimen surfaces. Furthermore, the boundaries are continuous and closed in the new algorithms, which can prevent the escape of particles from the specimens. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithms is validated by biaxial and triaxial simulations of granular materials. The results show that the algorithms allow the boundaries to deform non-uniformly on the premise of maintaining high control accuracy of confining pressure. Meanwhile, the influences of different lateral boundary conditions on the numerical results are discussed. It is indicated that the flexible boundary is more appropriate for the models with large strain or significant localization than rigid boundary.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.361-374
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• 2022

On the premise of ensuring that the automatic and quantitative discharging function of concrete conveyors is met, the accuracy of the weight forecast by the mathematical model of the screw conveying volume is improved, and the error of the weight of the concrete parts and the accumulation thickness is reduced. In this paper, the discrete element method (DEM) is used to simulate the macroscopic flow of concrete. Using the concrete discrete element model, the size of the screw conveyor is set, and establish the response model between the influencing factors (process and structure) and the concrete mass flow rate according to the design points of the screw discharging experiment. The nonlinear data fitting method is used to obtain the volumetric efficiency function under the influence of process and structural factors, and the traditional screw conveying volume model is improved. The mass flow rate of concrete predicted by the improved mathematical model of screw conveying volume is consistent with the test results. The model can accurately describe the conveying process of concrete and achieve the purpose of improving the accuracy of forecasting the weight of discharged concrete.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2005

Analogue physical modelling using granular materials (i.e., sandbox experiments) has been applied with great success to a number of geological problems at various scales. Such physical experiments can also be simulated numerically with the Discrete Element Method (DEM). In this study, we apply the DEM simulation to the collision between the Indian subcontinent and the Eurasian Plate, one of the most significant current tectonic processes in the Earth. DEM simulation has been applied to various kinds of dynamic modelling, not only in structural geology but also in soil mechanics, rock mechanics, and the like. As the target of the investigation is assumed to be an assembly of many tiny particles, DEM simulation makes it possible to treat an object with large and discontinuous deformations. However, in DEM simulations, we often encounter difficulties when we examine the validity of the input parameters, since little is known about the relationship between the input parameters for each particle and the properties of the whole assembly. Therefore, in our previous studies (Yamada et al.,2002a,2002b,2002c), we were obliged to tune the input parameters by trial and error. To overcome these difficulties, we introduce a numerical biaxial test with the DEM simulation. Using the results of this numerical test, we examine the validity of the input parameters used in the collision model. The resulting collision model is quite similar to the real deformation observed in eastern Asia, and compares well with GPS data and in-situ stress data in eastern Asia.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.477-493
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• 2003

Masonry is not a simple material, the influence of mortar joints as a plane of weakness is a significant feature and this makes the numerical modelling of masonry very difficult especially when dynamic (seismic) analysis is involved. In order to develop a simple numerical model for masonry under earthquake load, an analytical model based on Distinct Element Method (DEM) is being developed. At the first stage, the model is applied to simulate the in-plane shear behaviour of an unreinforced masonry wall with and without opening where the testing results are available for comparison. In DEM, a solid is represented as an assembly of discrete blocks. Joints are modelled as interface between distinct bodies. It is a dynamic process and specially designed to model the behaviour of discontinuities. The numerical solutions obtained from the distinct element analysis are validated by comparing the results with those obtained from existing experiments and finite element modelling.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.611-622
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• 2016

Particle morphology change and different experimental condition analysis during composite fabrication process by traditional ball milling with discrete element method (DEM) simulation were investigated. A simulation of the three dimensional motion of balls in a traditional ball mill for research on the grinding mechanism was carried out by DEM simulation. We studied the motion of the balls, the ball behavior energy and velocity; the forces acting on the balls were calculated using traditional ball milling as simulated by DEM. The effect of the operational variables such as the rotational speed, ball material and size on the flow velocity, collision force and total impact energy were analyzed. The results showed that increased rotation speed with interaction impact energy between balls and balls, balls and pots and walls and balls. The rotation speed increases with an increase of the impact energy. Experiments were conducted to quantify the grinding performance under the same conditions. Furthermore, the results showed that ball motion affects the particle morphology, which changed from irregular type to plate type with increasing rotation speed. The evolution was also found to depend on the impact energy increase of the grinding media. These findings are useful to understand and optimize the particle motion and grinding behavior of traditional ball mills.