Particle method: an innovative approach to simulation

In many applications particle-based simulation is more flexible, more powerful and more accurate than conventional, mesh-based simulation methods.

The fundamental principle of SimPARTIX® is simple: the material to be simulated is always represented in the computer in the form of individual particles. For example, in the case of a powder every individual grain is considered separately, which results in a far more realistic modeling of the powder’s behavior than is the case with simulation founded on conventional, continuum mechanics approaches. Based on the discrete element method (DEM), the interactions between the particles are described by means of appropriate force laws derived from physics. 
 
SimPARTIX® also uses this approach to model the behavior of (complex) fluids. In this case the individual particles can be regarded as “fluid lumps”. Here, smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) forms the basis of the physically correct analysis of the interactions between the particles of the fluid. The resulting, straightforward consideration of free surfaces, transport processes and complex rheology are the key advantages of the SPH method compared with traditional, mesh-based computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods.