ABSTRACT
In a discrete element model of a granular material system, the geometries of the “virtual” particles used in the simulation are restricted to shapes that can be analytically described. In realistic problems, of interest in engineering practice, the shapes of the individual particles may be highly complex. This is particularly true when considering soil particles. Consequently, the assemblage of particles used in a DEM simulation should be thought of as an analogue soil. It can be argued that any DEM model of a geotechnical engineering problem, whether two-dimensional or three-dimensional, can provide valuable insight into the micro-mechanics of the soil response, as the DEM model captures the particulate nature of the material. However, before DEM models can be used for quantitative analysis in geotechnical applications, it is important to establish the limitations of using these analogue soils with relatively simple particle shapes to represent real soil.
