Itasca Consulting Canada Inc.: Software

PFC2D & PFC3D

PFC2D and PFC3D (Particle Flow Code in 2 Dimensions; Particle Flow Code in 3 Dimensions) are programs for modeling the movement and interaction of assemblies of arbitrarily-sized circular (2D) or spherical (3D) particles. The particles are rigid but deform locally at contact points using a soft contact approach, in which finite normal and shear stiffnesses are taken to represent measurable contact stiffnesses. The particles may represent individual grains in a granular material or they may be bonded together to represent a solid material, in which case, fracturing occurs via progressive bond breakage. Solution by the distinct-element method allows dynamic stress waves to propagate through the particle assembly, which may exhibit slip or separation, with unlimited displacement, under the action of applied loading. Bonded assemblies exhibit complex macroscopic behaviors such as strain softening, dilation, and fracture that arise from extensive microcracking. PFC2D and PFC3D are ideal research tools, because they provide a powerful and flexible simulation environment within which one can create instances of different synthetic materials, subject them to general loadings, and observe their behavior. In addition to modeling bulk flow and mixing of materials, the codes are also well-suited to support fundamental studies of micro- and macrocracking in solid bodies including damage accumulation leading to fracture, dynamic breakage and seismic response.

Main Features

• A model consisting of 100,000 particles may be simulated on a machine with 86 MB of RAM in PFC2D; a model consisting of 100,000 particles may be simulated on a machine with 145 MB or RAM in PFC3D.
• Built-in programming language (FISH) provides full access to internal state variables and allows one to customize analyses
• Explicit solution scheme provides a stable solution for unstable physical processes and makes it possible to simulate the non-linear interaction of a large number of particles without excessive memory requirements or the need for an iterative procedure
• Built-in damping for optimal static convergence; damping can be adjusted for dynamic simulations
• Linear or nonlinear (Hertz) contact model with frictional sliding in both models
• Two forms of bonding at contacts; bonds have finite strengths in tension and shear
• Particle generator produces specified distribution of radii within generation region
• Walls, composed of multiple linear segments (2D) or planar faces (3D), impose velocity boundary conditions upon the particles
• Measurements of average stress, strain rate and porosity can be made over any number of specified circular regions