This book presents a complete and comprehensive analysis of the behaviour of granular materials including the description of experimental results, the different ways to define the global behaviour from local phenomena at the particle scale, the various modellings which can be used for a D.E.M. analysis to solve practical problems and finally the analysis of strain localisation. The concepts developed in this book are applicable to many kinds of granular materials considered in civil, mechanical or chemical engineering.

The combined finite discrete element method is a relatively new computational tool aimed at problems involving static and / or dynamic behaviour of systems involving a large number of solid deformable bodies. Such problems include fragmentation using explosives (e.g rock blasting), impacts, demolition (collapsing buildings), blast loads, digging and loading processes, and powder technology. The combined finite-discrete element method - a natural extension of both discrete and finite element methods - allows researchers to model problems involving the deformability of either one solid body, a large number of bodies, or a solid body which fragments (e.g. in rock blasting applications a more or less intact rock mass is transformed into a pile of solid rock fragments of different sizes, which interact with each other). The topic is gaining in importance, and is at the forefront of some of the current efforts in computational modeling of the failure of solids. * Accompanying source codes plus input and output files available on the Internet * Important applications such as mining engineering, rock blasting and petroleum engineering * Includes practical examples of applications areas Essential reading for postgraduates, researchers and software engineers working in mechanical engineering.

The first single work on DEM providing the information to get started with this powerful numerical modelling approach. Provides the basic details of the numerical method and the approaches used to interpret the results of DEM simulations. It will be of use to professionals, researchers and higher level students, with a theoretical overview of DEM as well as practical guidance.Selected Contents: 1.Introduction 2.Use of DEM in Geomechanics 3.Calculation of Contact Forces 4.Particle Motion 5.Particle Types 6.Boundary Conditions 7.Initial Geometry and Specimen Generation 8.Time Integration and Discrete Element Modelling 9.DEM Interpretation: A Continuum Perspective 10.Postprocessing: Graphical Interpretation of DEM Simulations 11.Basic Statisti