Numerical Analysis of Viscoelastic Materials Based on Discrete Element Method

According to the micromechanical behavior of viscoelastic materials, a viscoelastic model was developed using a discrete element modeling approach to simulate the performances of the materials. First, viscoelastic mechanical models were introduced, and the Burgers contact model was employed to investigate the viscoelastic performances of the material.Then, the discrete element model of homogeneous viscoelastic materials was established by mieromechanies and viscoelasticity theory and the uniaxial creep tests were simulated. At the end, the results based on the numerical simulations and analytical solutions were compared. It was found that the results from the two approaches agree with each other verywell, and the DEM numerical simulation was more effective and simple. But the results of unloading parts do not coincide with each other very well. In conclusion, numerical simulation by DEM method can be used in further research of viscoelastic materials as less laboratory tests and more accuracy.