From fracture to fragmentation: discrete element modeling -- Complexity
of crackling noise and fragmentation phenomena revealed by discrete element
simulations
Discrete element modelling (DEM) is one of the most efficient computational
approaches to the fracture processes of heterogeneous materials on mesoscopic
scales. From the dynamics of single crack propagation through the statistics of
crack ensembles to the rapid fragmentation of materials DEM had a substantial
contribution to our understanding over the past decades. Recently, the
combination of DEM with other simulation techniques like Finite Element
Modelling further extended the field of applicability. In this paper we briefly
review the motivations and basic idea behind the DEM approach to cohesive
particulate matter and then we give an overview of on-going developments and
applications of the method focusing on two fields where recent success has been
achieved. We discuss current challenges of this rapidly evolving field and
outline possible future perspectives and debates