The importance of computer simulations of granular flow

The importance of the technological applications of granular media in silos or conveyer belts, in ball mills or under bulldozers, demands more efficient simulation techniques to reproduce entire industrial processes. Although several commercial programs for the simulation of granular material exist, their use is not nearly as common as in fluid or solid mechanics. This is mainly due to historical reasons and to limitations in the number of simulated particles. The advancement of computer hardware and the rapid advance in simulation algorithms ensure that particle simulations will become much more commonplace in power technology. Other areas will certainly profit from this process in computational granular materials, such as geosciences and astrophysics. One beautiful example is the simulation of the transport of particles under the action of wind, and the subsequent formation of dunes