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This paper is a review of the use of particulate discrete element modeling (DEM) in geomechanics. The overall objective of the paper is to serve as an introduction to researchers and practitioners in geomechanics who are considering adopting DEM in their work or using the results of DEM simulations to guide other studies, for example, the development of constitutive models for continuum-based numerical analysis. It is hoped that prior converts to the use of DEM will also benefit from a relatively objective overview of current DEM use in geomechanics. The introductory sections present the background to the method and give an overview of the evolution of the use of particulate DEM in recent geotechnical research. The general principals of the algorithm are then presented, considering the types of particles typically used, the calculation of contact forces, and formulation of simulation boundary conditions. Some techniques available to interpret and postprocess of DEM results and provide the information to link the particle scale and overall response are outlined. Approaches used to validate and calibrate DEM models to verify that DEM simulation results representative of physical reality are discussed. An overview of the application of DEM modeling to field-scale problems is then presented. Finally the conclusions consider future developments in the area and emphasize the need to maintain quality in DEM simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with a two-species predator-prey reaction-diffusion system with Beddington-DeAngelis functional response and subject to homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions. By linearizing the system at the positive constant steady-state solution and analyzing the associated characteristic equation in detail, the asymptotic stability of the positive constant steady-state solution and the existence of local Hopf bifurcations are investigated. Also, it is shown that the appearance of the diffusion and homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions can lead to the appearance of codimension two Bagdanov-Takens bifurcation. Moreover, by applying the normal form theory and the center manifold reduction for partial differential equations (PDEs), the explicit algorithm determining the direction of Hopf bifurcations and the stability of bifurcating periodic solutions is given. Finally, numerical simulations supporting the theoretical analysis are also included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we construct a group of Saul'yev type asymmetric difference formulas for the dispersive equation. Based on these formulas we derive a new alternating 6-point group algorithm to solve dispersive equations with periodic boundary conditions. The algorithm has a high-order accuracy in space and an unconditional stability. The theoretical results are conformed to the numerical simulation. A comparison of this algorithm with the previous Alternating Group Explicit method is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]