Open Access

ARTICLE

Enhanced Understanding of Particle Simulations Through Deformation-Based Visualization

A.N.M. Imroz Choudhury¹, Michael D. Steffen¹, James E. Guilkey², Steven G.Parker³
1 SCI Institute, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
2 Schlumberger Technology Corporation, Salt Lake City, UT, USA (corresponding author).
3 NVIDIA Corporation, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.

Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences 2010, 63(2), 117-136. https://doi.org/10.3970/cmes.2010.063.117

Abstract

We present a physically based method for visualizing deformation in particle simulations, such as those describing structural mechanics simulations. The method uses the deformation gradient tensor to transform carefully chosen glyphs representing each particle. The visualization approximates how simulated objects responding to applied forces might look in reality, allowing for a better understanding of material deformation, an important indicator of, for example, material failure. It can also help highlight possible errors and numerical deficiencies in the simulation itself, suggesting how simulations might be changed to yield more accurate results.

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Keywords

Deformation, visualization, particle methods, material point method.

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