Cited by 17,527Geotechnical Engineering and Soil MechanicsGranular flow and fluidized bedsRock Mechanics and Modeling

A discrete numerical model for granular assemblies

Cundall, P. A., Strack, O. D. L.·1979·Géotechnique

Abstract

The distinct element method is a numerical model capable of describing the mechanical behaviour of assemblies of discs and spheres. The method is based on the use of an explicit numerical scheme in which the interaction of the particles is monitored contact by contact and the motion of the particles modelled particle by particle. The main features of the distinct element method are described. The method is validated by comparing force vector plots obtained from the computer program BALL with the corresponding plots obtained from a photoelastic analysis. The photoelastic analysis used for the comparison is the one applied to an assembly of discs by De Josselin de Jong and Verruijt (1969). The force vector diagrams obtained numerically closely resemble those obtained photoelastically. It is concluded from this comparison that the distinct element method and the program BALL are valid tools for research into the behaviour of granular assemblies. La méthode des éléments distincts est un modèle numérique capable de décrire le comportement mécanique de l'assemblage de disques et de sphères. La méthode est basée sur l'utilisation d'un système numérique explicite dans lequel l'interaction des particules est contrôlée contact par contact et le mouvement des particules simulé particule par particule. Les caracteristiques principales de la méthode des eléments distints sont décrites. La méthode est validée en comparant les tracés de vecteur de force obtenus par le programme sur ordicate…

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1680/geot.1979.29.1.47

Cites

5 of 5 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • The discrete element method (DEM) has proven to be a powerful numerical tool to include interparticle forces by tracking individual particles at each time step.

    “The discrete element method (DEM) originally developed by Cundall and Strack (1979) has proven to be a powerful numerical tool to include interparticle forces by tracking individual particles at each time step (Liu et al., 2010).”

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Cundall, P. A., & Strack, O. D. L.
Affiliations
  • Advanced Technology Group, Dames & Moore, London
  • University of Minnesota (US)
Corresponding author
Cundall, P. A.
Venue
Géotechnique
Publisher
Emerald
Published
1979-03
Volume
29
Issue
1
Pages
47-65
ISSN
  • 0016-8505 (ISSN-L)
  • 1751-7656
OpenAlex
W2073775990
Cited by
17,527
References
5
Citations by year
2026: 1097 · 2025: 1254 · 2024: 1144 · 2023: 1090 · 2022: 1035 · 2021: 1229 · 2020: 1046 · 2019: 979 · 2018: 944 · 2017: 810 · 2016: 792 · 2015: 651 · 2014: 626 · 2013: 579 · 2012: 527
FWCI
14.60
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Géotechnique (publishedVersion)
Funders
National Science Foundation
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Civil and Structural Engineering › Geotechnical Engineering and Soil Mechanics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Computational Mechanics › Granular flow and fluidized beds
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Mechanics of Materials › Rock Mechanics and Modeling
Keywords
discrete element method, granular assemblies, photoelasticity, granular mechanics, numerical validation

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review