I-Corps: Multi-physics Software for Arbitrarily-shaped Objects

California Institute Of Technology, Pasadena CA

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the applications of a technology, the Level Set Discrete Element Method (LS-DEM), to solve real-world problems. Specifically, the project will look at the commercial viability of the technology in geotechnical engineering, civil engineering, food storage, additive manufacturing processes, pharmaceutical production lines, and mining and excavation industries among many others. LS-DEM has capabilities that exceed current techniques within engineering practice, enabling more accurate analysis of engineering designs, enhancing optimization of existing engineering processes, and reducing engineering costs both in terms of time and money. Additionally, the potential exists for large improvements in the safety of both existing and new infrastructure from the increased understanding of physical processes that this technology can provide. Overall, the proposed technology has the potential to be a transformative technology that positively impacts many commercial industries. This I-Corps project investigates potential commercial applications and markets for the Level Set Discrete Element Method (LS-DEM) technology. The intellectual merit of this method is to allow the rapid simulation and modeling of discrete objects with any shape, overcoming a major challenge within the field. Modeling of discrete objects is important in many commercial applications and shape is pivotal for correctly understanding systems. For example, spherical objects behave very differently than rectangular objects, yet current discrete methods are mostly limited to spherical approximations in large granular systems. This results in less accurate and less informative results that LS-DEM overcomes by effectively and exactly replicating any component's shape. LS-DEM has proven through past research to be highly accurate and predictive engineering tool. This work will investigate various commercial applications, where a better understanding of discrete object interactions can impact our engineering and scientific understanding of the system or systems in question.