DEM Contact Data Copying for Parallel Particle Simulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The discrete element method (DEM) simulations face high computational complexity due to the expensive copy process of contact data between time steps, especially in parallel simulations where particles across subregions need to exchange data, making it challenging to reduce computational complexity effectively.
Innovation Solution
An information processing apparatus that stores contact data for particles within a region and acquires position data from neighboring regions to detect and copy cumulative displacements efficiently, distinguishing between contact particles within the same region and those across boundaries, thereby reducing unnecessary data searches and comparisons.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If contact data is copied by extracting particles in contact at current time and searching from previous contact data, then contact force calculation is accurate, but computational complexity increases due to repeated scanning of contact data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-organizing contact data into a structured format (contact particle lists and displacement lists) at each time step, rather than searching through unorganized data. This pre-processing creates an efficient data structure that enables fast retrieval and copying of contact information in subsequent time steps, reducing computational complexity while maintaining accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments contact data into distinct components: contact particle lists (identifying which particles are in contact) and displacement lists (storing cumulative displacements). This segmentation allows the system to process and copy only the necessary contact information efficiently, avoiding repeated scanning of entire particle datasets and reducing computational overhead
2Ease of operation
If copy process is performed in unified manner without distinguishing subregion boundaries, then implementation is simple, but computational complexity cannot be reduced in parallel simulations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by treating contact data copying differently based on spatial location: particles within the same subregion use one copying approach, while particles at subregion boundaries use another approach that accounts for neighboring region data. This localized differentiation enables parallel simulation optimization without sacrificing implementation feasibility, as each region can independently manage its own contact data copying
3Productivity
If region is divided into subregions for parallel simulation, then simulation speed increases, but data exchange between regions increases computational overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and stores contact particle lists and displacement lists as separate, dedicated data structures that can be independently managed and exchanged between subregions. By extracting only the essential contact information (particle identifiers and displacements) rather than exchanging entire particle datasets, the system reduces data exchange overhead while maintaining parallel simulation speed advantages
Data Source
AI summary
Technique includes acquiring first contact data of first time, associated with first particle in first region; calculating first position data on particles in the first region at second time, and receiving second position data on particles in second region at the second time; detecting second particle being in contact with the first particle and in the first region at the first time and being in the first region at the second time; copying, when the first and second particles are in contact at the second time, displacement of the second particle from the first contact data to second contact data of the second time; detecting third particle being in the first or second region at the second time and in contact with the first particle; and copying, when the third particle is listed in the first contact data, displacement of the third particle to the second contact data therefrom.