A scalable OpenLB–LAMMPS framework for fully-resolved simulations of hindered settling of arbitrary non-spherical particles
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Hindered settling of non spherical particles remains significantly less understood than spherical particles due to the computational challenges in resolving the complex contact mechanics and hydrodynamic interactions. In this paper, we present a scaleable fluid structure interaction (FSI) framework coupling the open-source LBM software in OpenLB (Krause et al., 2021) with the Discrete Element Method (DEM) implemented in LAMMPS (Thompson et al., 2022) to simulate arbitrary shaped rigid bodies in a fluid. Paticle contacts are captured using a multi-sphere “clump” representation in DEM, while particle geometries are resolved on the fluid grid via voxelization. We validate our model against single and multi-particle benchmarks, and proceed to study the hindered setttling of cubes in systems containing upto cubes. Our simulations show distinct differences between the settling of cubes and sphere, as cubes form pronounced coordination shells without face-parallel contact, in contrast to the contact-dominated clustering observed in spheres. Our calculations find that periodic boundary conditions might cause the velocity fluctuations along the direction of gravity to remain correlated for even the largest system size we studied. These findings highlight the role of particle morphology in suspension dynamics and demonstrate a robust framework for simulating large-scale geotechnical and particulate flows.
Source: Particuology
Language: English
Subfield: Computational Mechanics
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,090
OpenAlex ID: W7204470486