Spatial–temporal multiscale discrete–continuum simulation of granular flow

Modeling and simulation of granular materials have received great attention in a wide range of scientific and engineering fields. With various discrete or continuum-based methods facing different aspects of the complexity of granular materials, their multi-scale coupling may lead to more effective and efficient methods. In this work, a novel spatial–temporal multiscale method is proposed with spatially overlapped continuum and discrete systems running alternately at different time steps to accelerate the simulation. The continuum system aims at predicting the potential position of each particle, and the discrete system is utilized to provide particle-level information and correct the prediction of the continuum system. The feasibility and accuracy of this method are demonstrated by comparing to typical traditional methods for silo discharge.