Contact Model Framework

The following sections outline the framework that is common to the contact model descriptions. For each contact model, the formulation presentation begins with an introduction, in which the model is described in a few sentences. This is followed by a behavior summary section consisting of a more precise description, including a sketch of the rheological components and associated internal parameters. The activity-deletion criteria are then discussed, followed by the force-displacement law [1]. Finally, the energies, properties, methods, and callback events are listed. These concepts are introduced in the following sections.

• Activity-Deletion Criteria
• Force-Displacement Law
• Energy Partitions
• Contact Properties
• Methods
• Contact Callback Events

Endnote

[1]

The description of each contact model includes the force-displacement behavior at a contact but excludes the macroscopic behavior of the granular assembly, which we refer to as a synthetic material. The PFC model provides a synthetic material consisting of an assembly of rigid grains with a contact model at each grain-grain contact. A vast microstructural space is encompassed by the PFC model, and only a small portion of this space has been explored. The material-modeling support package supports such exploration, and further discussion of material behavior is provided in the section Bonded Materials and Interfaces of the Built-in Contact Models topic.