<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>The discrete element method (DEM) is a numerical technique used in many areas of modern science to describe the behavior of bulk materials. Terramechanics of planetary soil analogs for <italic>in situ</italic> resource utilization activities is a research field where the use of DEM appears to be beneficial. Indeed, the close-to-physics modeling approach of DEM allows the researcher to gain much insight into the mechanical behavior of the regolith when it interacts with external devices in conditions that are hard to test experimentally. Nevertheless, DEM models are very difficult to calibrate due to their high complexity. In this paper, we study the influence of fundamental model parameters on specific simulation outcomes. We provide qualitative and quantitative assessments of the influence of DEM model parameters on the simulated repose angle and computational time. These results help to understand the behavior of the numerical model and are useful in the model calibration process.</p>
</abstract>

The discrete element method (DEM) is a numerical technique used in many areas of modern science to describe the behavior of bulk materials. Terramechanics of planetary soil analogs for in situ resource utilization activities is a research field where the use of DEM appears to be beneficial. Indeed, the close-to-physics modeling approach of DEM allows the researcher to gain much insight into the mechanical behavior of the regolith when it interacts with external devices in conditions that are hard to test experimentally. Nevertheless, DEM models are very difficult to calibrate due to their high complexity. In this paper, we study the influence of fundamental model parameters on specific simulation outcomes. We provide qualitative and quantitative assessments of the influence of DEM model parameters on the simulated repose angle and computational time. These results help to understand the behavior of the numerical model and are useful in the model calibration process.

Sensitivity Analysis of the DEM Model Numerical Parameters on the Value of the Angle of Repose of Lunar Regolith Analogs

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics

Artificial Satellites

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The discrete element method (DEM) is a numerical technique used in many areas of modern science to describe the behavior of bulk materials. Terramechanics of...

Sensitivity Analysis of the DEM Model Numerical Parameters on the Value of the Angle of Repose of Lunar Regolith Analogs

Published Online: Dec 29, 2023

Page range: 188 - 202

Received: Dec 16, 2022

Accepted: Jun 01, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/arsa-2023-0022

Keywords
DEM, regolith, space mining, repose angle test, sensitivity analysis

© 2023 Przemysław Młynarczyk et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Sensitivity Analysis of the DEM Model Numerical Parameters on the Value of the Angle of Repose of Lunar Regolith Analogs

Published Online: Dec 29, 2023

Page range: 188 - 202

Received: Dec 16, 2022

Accepted: Jun 01, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/arsa-2023-0022

KeywordsDEM, regolith, space mining, repose angle test, sensitivity analysis

© 2023 Przemysław Młynarczyk et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
DEM, regolith, space mining, repose angle test, sensitivity analysis