Round robin test on angle of repose: DEM simulation results collected from 16 groups around the world

International audienceThe round robin test (the simultaneous analysis of the same problem) is a method to investigate the variance and sensitivity of results provided by different analysts for a given problem and the reliability of the particular software used by each group participating in the test. A round robin test has been conducted for the traditional numerical method (e.g., finite difference method), but not yet for the discrete element method (DEM). This paper presents the results of the first ever round robin test on the DEM simulation for the angle of repose, involving 16 groups from around the world using different softwares. Within the scope of this round robin test, most groups reported similar simulation results for the angle of repose that differed only by a few degrees from the average of the experimental values, which was initially concealed from participants. There was also good agreement on the degree of variance of the angle of repose. In addition, this paper revealed the recent trends on the interparticle constitutive models and DEM softwares by considering the reports obtained from the participants