TY - JOUR

T1 - A multi-shell cover algorithm for contact detection in the three dimensional discontinuous deformation analysis

AU - Wu, Wei

AU - Zhu, Hehua

AU - Zhuang, Xiaoying

AU - Ma, Guowei

AU - Cai, Yongchang

N1 - Funding information: The authors gratefully acknowledge the supports from the Key Programme from Natural Science Foundation of China ( 41130751 ), National Basic Research Program of China ( 973:2011CB013800 ), Research Program for Development of Western China Communication ( 2011ZB04 ) and funding by SRF for ROCS, SEM, and Shanghai Chengguang Program ( 12CG20 ). The first author is supported by China Scholarship Council (CSC) during his study in UWA.

PY - 2014/4/13

Y1 - 2014/4/13

N2 - In three dimensional discontinuous deformation analysis (3D DDA), the contact detection between blocks is the most expensive part in terms of the total computational cost. The detection normally comprises two stages, namely the search of neighboring blocks and the identification of contact modes. The first stage aims to find out all possible neighboring blocks and the second is to identify the exact contact modes between of neighboring blocks from their vertices, edges and faces. In this paper, an efficient and robust spatial contact detection algorithm is presented linking the above mentioned two stages using a novel multi-shell cover (MSC) system and decomposition of geometrical sub-units. The present MSC method greatly reduces the contact detection volume and iterations. This paper also provides a unified formula of vertex to face and edge to edge contacts. The proposed method is implemented in a 3D DDA computer program. Numerical examples are tested and the results show improved computational efficiency comparing with existing methods.

AB - In three dimensional discontinuous deformation analysis (3D DDA), the contact detection between blocks is the most expensive part in terms of the total computational cost. The detection normally comprises two stages, namely the search of neighboring blocks and the identification of contact modes. The first stage aims to find out all possible neighboring blocks and the second is to identify the exact contact modes between of neighboring blocks from their vertices, edges and faces. In this paper, an efficient and robust spatial contact detection algorithm is presented linking the above mentioned two stages using a novel multi-shell cover (MSC) system and decomposition of geometrical sub-units. The present MSC method greatly reduces the contact detection volume and iterations. This paper also provides a unified formula of vertex to face and edge to edge contacts. The proposed method is implemented in a 3D DDA computer program. Numerical examples are tested and the results show improved computational efficiency comparing with existing methods.

KW - Computational cost

KW - Contact detection

KW - Neighbor searching

KW - Three dimensional discontinuous deformation analysis (3D DDA)

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84922338392&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.tafmec.2014.03.004

DO - 10.1016/j.tafmec.2014.03.004

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84922338392

VL - 72

SP - 136

EP - 149

JO - Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics

JF - Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics

SN - 0167-8442

IS - 1

ER -