A new computer haptics algorithm to be used in general interactive manipulations of deformable virtual objects is presented. In multimodal interactive simulations, haptic feedback computation often comes from contact forces. Subsequently, the fidelity of haptic rendering depends significantly on contact space modeling. Contact and friction laws between deformable models are often simplified in up to date methods. They do not allow a "realistic" rendering of the subtleties of contact space physical phenomena (such as slip and stick effects due to friction or mechanical coupling between contacts). In this paper, we use Signorini's contact law and Coulomb's friction law as a computer haptics basis. Real-time performance is made possible thanks to a linearization of the behavior in the contact space, formulated as the so-called Delassus operator, and iteratively solved by a Gauss-Seidel type algorithm. Dynamic deformation uses corotational global formulation to obtain the Delassus operator in which the mass and stiffness ratio are dissociated from the simulation time step. This last point is crucial to keep stable haptic feedback. This global approach has been packaged, implemented, and tested. Stable and realistic 6D haptic feedback is demonstrated through a clipping task experiment.

We present a systematic numerical investigation of the shear strength and structure of granular packings composed of irregular polyhedral particles. The angularity of the particles is varied by increasing the number of faces from 8 (octahedronlike shape) to 596. We find that the shear strength increases with angularity up to a maximum value and saturates as the particles become more angular (below 46 faces). At the same time, the packing fraction increases to a peak value but declines for more angular particles. We analyze the connectivity and anisotropy of the microstructure by considering both the contacts and branch vectors joining particle centers. The increase of the shear strength with angularity is shown to be due to a net increase of the fabric and force anisotropies but at higher particle angularity a rapid falloff of the fabric anisotropy is compensated by an increase of force anisotropy, leading thus to the saturation of shear strength.

Discrete element simulation provides some insight into the alteration of railway ballast after repeated train passings. The present Part 1 is devoted to a 2D model of this granular layer interposed between the deformable ground and the rail sleeper, to which a large number of loading cycles is applied. Ballast grains are modelled as indeformable polygonal solids. A detailed account of the application to this frictional dynamical problem of the Non-Smooth Contact Dynamics numerical method is given. Validation is obtained through comparison with physical experiments performed on assemblies of prismatic mineral grains. Numerical results on the settlement of a track submitted to 20,000 loading cycles or more are presented.

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The rheology of two-dimensional steady surface flow of cohesionless cylinders in a rotating drum is investigated through nonsmooth contact dynamics simulations. Profiles of volume fraction, translational and angular velocity, rms velocity, strain rate, and stress tensor are measured at the midpoint along the length of the surface-flowing layer, where the flow is generally considered as steady and homogeneous. Analysis of these data and their interrelations suggest the local inertial number-defined as the ratio between local inertial forces and local confinement forces-to be the relevant dimensionless parameter to describe the transition from the quasistatic part of the packing to the flowing part at the surface of the heap. Variations of the components of the stress tensor as well as the ones of rms velocity as a function of the inertial number are analyzed within both the quasistatic and the flowing phases. Their implications are discussed.

International audienceA number of numerical methods developed in the group " Mechanics and Modelling of Contact " for solving frictional problems, ate presented. These methods are based on different formulations. The presentation is done in the context of finite elastoplastic strains. The efficiency of the methods is compared on two tests and benchmarks related to metal forming processes

SUMMARYThe aim of this paper is to present a discrete element approach for the study of stonework. In the present work, a masonry structure is considered as a collection of rigid or deformable blocks, interacting together by contact laws. In this paper, we use the non-smooth contact dynamics (NSCD) resolution method mainly used for the modelling of granular media. In the considered masonry structures we define, on an elementary cell, average local strain and stress tensors. These definitions are valid under dynamical loading of the structure, taking into account rotations. We present their use on academic and on real masonry structures.