Computer Implementation of Hierarchical FE-DE Multiscale Approach for Modeling Deformable Soil in Multibody Dynamics Simulation

In this paper, a hierarchical FE-DE multiscale soil model is implemented and validated for use in multibody dynamics simulation. In order to describe complex soil failure phenomena including strain localization, the finite-element (FE) model is utilized to predict macroscale soil deformation, while the microscale constitutive behavior is modeled by representative volume elements (RVEs) using the discrete-element (DE) method. Brick elements integrated in the general multibody dynamics algorithm are used for developing the macroscale model. An open-source DE code LIGGGHTS is integrated in this simulation framework to add multiscale simulation capabilities for modeling complex soil behavior. Several numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the use of multiscale simulation capabilities for high-fidelity multibody off-road mobility simulations.