Efficient Discrete Element Modeling of Particle Dampers

Particle dampers’ dissipative characteristics can be difficult to predict because of their highly non-linear behavior. The application of such devices in deformable vibrating systems can require extensive experimental and numerical analyses; therefore, improving the efficiency when simulating particle dampers would help in this regard. Two techniques often proposed to speed up the simulation, namely the adoption of a simplified frictional moment and the reduction of the contact stiffness, are considered; their effect on the simulation run-time, on the ability of the particle bed to sustain shear deformation, and on the prediction of the dissipation performance is investigated for different numerical case studies. The reduction in contact stiffness is studied in relation to the maximum overlap between particles, as well as the contacts’ duration. These numerical simulations are carried out over a wide range of motion regimes, frequencies, and amplitude levels. Experimental results are considered as well. All the simulations are performed using a GPU-based discrete element simulation tool coupled with the multi-body code MBDyn; the results and execution time are compared with those of other solvers.