Abstract
This paper concerns the evaluation method for contact force in the Distinct Element Method (DEM) in terms of the energy conservation. The contact force is usually determined from the relative displacement of the particles, using analogy of spring-dashpot system. Since this form of contact force does not take account of the mechanical energy of the particles, unexpected sudden increase of the kinematic energy can be occured. In this paper, an evaluation method for contact force that conserves the kinematic energy is newly proposed. A basic validation is carried out to confirm the validity of the proposed model.
