Review of particle breakage simulation based on DEM

Particle breakage has a significant effect on the macro- and micro-mechanical behaviors of granular assemblies. The development of micro-scale researches on particle breakage based on physical experiments is limited by the current experimental techniques. An efficient way is provided to investigate the effect of particle breakage on the behavior of granular assemblies from different scales with the proposed discrete element method (DEM). The worldwide researches are reviewed, and two kinds of particle breakage simulation methods based on DEM are introduced, namely the particle breakage simulation methods based on the bonded-particle model (BPM) and based on the fragment replacement method (FRM). The distinct problems for the particle breakage simulation method based on BPM are that it is not suitable for a large-scale numerical simulation and has a limited breakage level. Two key points, the fragment replacement mode and the particle breakage criterion, should be considered when using the particle breakage simulation method based on FRM. The fragment number, size distribution and law of mass conservation strategies of fragment replacement mode are discussed as well as the stress criterion and force criterion for particle breakage. The possible research emphasis in the field of particle breakage simulation method based on DEM is proposed.