EDEM Analyst - Analyze the Bonds

The final step in this tutorial is to learn how to review, examine, and analyze the bonds formed in the simulation using EDEM Analyst.

To analyze the simulation results:
  1. Click the icon on the Toolbar.
  2. Use the controls below the simulation window to rewind the simulation to the first Time Step.
  3. Click the icon to play through each Time Step of your simulation.

Configure the Bonds

The next step is to examine the contacts between different types of particles and between particles and individual sections of Geometry

To configure bonds:
  1. Select Contact from the Display Section of the Analyst Tree.
  2. Configure the following settings:


  3. Color the contact using the following metrics:
    1. customInitialOverlap – Indicates the initial value of the overlap of the elements in contact before the bond is formed.
    2. BondStatus – Indicates the property that determines the existence of the bond. A value of 1.0 indicates that a successful bond has been formed and is currently active. A value of -1.0 indicates that the bond has been broken. A value of 0.0 indicates that a bond was never formed.


    3. customShearForce – Indicates the Shear force acting on the contact.

Configure the Geometry

The next step is to configure the Geometries to construct the environment in which your bulk material interacts.

To configure the Geometry:
  1. Switch to EDEM Analyst.
  2. Select Display > Geometries, and set the Opacity of the Geometry to 0.7.
  3. Hide the particle factory cylinder by selecting it and then deselecting Display Particle Factory.

Plot Graphs

The last step in this tutorial is to learn to plot the data collected during your simulation using a Line graph.

To plot a Line graph:
  1. Click the icon on the toolbar and select the Line tab.
  2. Configure the following settings to plot the total force on the CompressionPlate over time:


    Note: This data can be exported to plot Stress vs. Strain for the compression sample.
    • The stress is the total force/sample area, where the area can be calculated from the original particle factory cylinder (40 mm radius).
    • The strain is the extension of the sample/length.
    • The length is the original length of the cylinder (100 mm), and the extension is the compression plate speed (0.005 m/s) multiplied by the Time value.

Configure the Particles

The next step is to configure the Particles sub-section that will allow you to modify and configure the display settings for all the Particles and Particle Types in the simulation.

To configure Particles:
  1. Select Particles > Color By: > Particles.
    The following two options are available:
    1. customBondsInitial – Indicates the number of bonds that an element has after the initial bond formation time.
    2. customBondsDamage – Indicates the metric for the damage to the bonds for a given particle, calculated as:

      1.0     −   c u r r e n t   n u m b e r   o f   b o n d s   f o r   t h e   p a r t i c l e c u s t o m B o n d s I n i t i a l MathType@MTEF@5@5@+= feaahGart1ev3aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq=Jc9 vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0=yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr=x fr=xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaGaaGymaiaac6 cacaaIWaGaaGPaVlaaykW7cqGHsislcaaMc8+aaSaaaeaacaWGJbGa amyDaiaadkhacaWGYbGaamyzaiaad6gacaWG0bGaaGPaVlaad6gaca WG1bGaamyBaiaadkgacaWGLbGaamOCaiaaykW7caWGVbGaamOzaiaa ykW7caWGIbGaam4Baiaad6gacaWGKbGaam4CaiaaykW7caWGMbGaam 4BaiaadkhacaaMc8UaamiDaiaadIgacaWGLbGaaGPaVlaadchacaWG HbGaamOCaiaadshacaWGPbGaam4yaiaadYgacaWGLbaabaGaam4yai aadwhacaWGZbGaamiDaiaad+gacaWGTbGaamOqaiaad+gacaWGUbGa amizaiaadohacaWGjbGaamOBaiaadMgacaWG0bGaamyAaiaadggaca WGSbaaaaaa@77B0@

      A value of 0.0 indicates that all initial bonds are now formed. A value of 1.0 indicates that all initial bonds are now broken.

  2. In the Particles section, clear the Display All Particles checkbox and then click Apply All.
    The particles are not displayed in the Viewer.