Research-led teaching of discrete element simulations

The Discrete Element Method (DEM) is an essential numerical tool for the simulation of particulate systems. Yet, systematic DEM education is missing from the curricula of most STEM programmes worldwide compared to methods for continuum modelling, such as the Finite Element Method (FEM). This contribution highlights the teaching activities organised at the Institute for Multiscale Simulation (MSS) of the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg to provide DEM education at a postgraduate level. The teaching content is underpinned by previous and ongoing research of the MSS and the wider DEM community. Theoretical and practical sessions are combined with the goal of gaining actionable knowledge on numerical simulations, applicable to real-life problems of discrete systems. Focus is given on the main elements of a DEM simulation, including the selection of appropriate material parameters, contact models and timestep, as well as contact detection schemes and particle shape. The open-source DEM software YADE is employed to provide a user-friendly Python interface, which allows for easy scene generation, as well as various types of particle shape and contact laws for viscoelastic, adhesive and capillary behaviour. This course imparts an understanding of the physical phenomena arising in many-particle systems and the importance of microscopic parameters on macromechanical behaviour. Through this educational activity, we aim to contribute towards a more standardised DEM education.