Hybrid PD-DEM approach for modeling surface erosion by particles impact

Peridynamics (PD) theory is a promising technique for modeling solids with discontinuities. Short-range repulsive force models are commonly employed in PD impact event simulations. Despite their extensive usage, short-range force models do not take damping, friction, and tangential force components into account and hence are unable to effectively describe energy dissipation, leading to uncertainty in the calculation of contact forces. However, the accuracy of impact simulations using alternate contact models has not been extensively investigated in the context of PD impact simulations. The Discrete Element Method (DEM) has been proven to be the most reliable and effective approach to model collision processes between distinct solid objects. This work presents, a particle-based hybrid PD-DEM model to accurately predict the particle impact forces and the resulting damage to the target material. The present model brings together the unique capabilities of PD and DEM and has the potential to make use of the various DEM contact laws, which allow the development and adjustment of relevant contact forces in the normal and tangential directions. Furthermore, damping effects, friction, and intra-particle stiffness are incorporated into the simulations through DEM. The proposed method has been used for modeling material failure after being validated and verified for the contact parameters during the impact process. The predicted damage patterns and resulting material loss demonstrate good agreement with the experimental results reported in the literature.