Abstract: Processes of granular flow are still hard to model although many well-developed computational tools are available. When, for instance, the finite element method formulated in purely Lagrangian format is used, the large distortions of the analysed granular material and the element mesh in the sequel lead to numerical inaccuracies or even make the analysis impossible. To overcome these numerical difficulties, the material point method is utilised, which is a variant of the finite element method formulated in an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian description of motion. The motion of material (Lagrangian) points is traced with respect to a computational (Eulerian) mesh which is not subject to distortions. As the material points are defined independently of the computational mesh, the method is also classified as a point-based (mesh-free) method.

Examples of granular flow during the processes of filling and discharging silos will be presented including the doming phenomenon which can appear in the case of slightly cohesive material. The flow of the granular material on a revolving pan and some dynamic problems of geomechanics with large strains will also be presented. The granular material is described by the use of the elastic-viscoplastic constitutive model with the Drucker-Prager yield condition.

Brief Biography of the Speaker:

Education:

1974–1979 Technical University of Łód´z, Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, M.Sc. in civil engineering.

1987 Ph.D. Thesis: “Duality in finite element method and its applications to some linear and nonlinear problems of mechanics of composite materials”, Technical University of Łód´z.

2000 Dr.Sc. Thesis (Habilitation Thesis): “Application of the finite element method to some non-linear problems of solid mechanics.” Technical University of Łód´z.


Professional experience:

1979–1989 Junior Assistant (1979–1980), Assistant (1980–1981), Senior Assistant (1981–

1987), Assistant Professor (1988–2004), Institute of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Łódz, Poland.

1990–2004 Assistant Professor, Chair of Mechanics of Materials, Technical University of Łódz, Poland.

2001–2008 Head of Chair of Mechanics of Materials, Technical University of Łódz, Poland.

2005–2008 Associate Professor, Chair of Mechanics of Materials, Technical University of Łódz, Poland.

1992–1994 Visiting Researcher, Division of Structural Mechanics, Lulea University of Technology, Sweden.

1997–1998 Post-doctoral Fellow, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Taejon, Republic of Korea.

09–10.2004 Visiting Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Taejon, Republic of Korea.

2006–2008 Visiting Professor, several 3–week visits, Institute of Geotechnical Engineering, University of Stuttgart, Germany.


Research areas: computational methods in mechanics especially the finite element method; equilibrium model of the finite element method; material point method (arbitrary Lagrangian- Eulerian formulation of the finite element method); a posteriori error estimation for approximate solutions to boundary value problems of mechanics; theory of plasticity and viscoplasticity; mechanics of composite materials; finite element modelling of motion of granular material in a silo; large strain engineering problems; gradient and stress fields recovery.