New Bulk Material Simulation Software Released

EDEM, a Discrete Element Method (DEM) specialist, has released EDEM 2017, featuring a GPU solver engine, a new interface, and key enhancements in usability and performance that further streamline simulation workflow.

The latest release includes access to a GPU solver engine that has been integrated directly into the EDEM 2017 environment and makes use of the latest GPGPU technology (General Purpose computing on Graphical Processing Units). By utilizing cutting-edge GPU cards EDEM is able to deploy contact model calculations across literally thousands of processing cores and deliver simulation results up to 10 times faster than by using traditional desktop CPUs.

EDEM 2017 delivers a new and modern user interface designed to be intuitive and even more user-friendly. Brand new icons and color palette make the environment visually more appealing and reflect the new branding that the company unveiled earlier this year. Navigation has changed to a tree structure where menus and submenus can be expanded and collapsed easily, with the addition of a right-click feature enabling quick access to different settings and actions available.

In the EDEM creator, which is the pre-processing environment, the tree structure acts as a guide for users and enables them to setup their simulations in a fast and logical manner. New features include a point-and-click selection tool for geometries and new helper functions to help users configure their simulation and define common parameters such as grid and timestep settings automatically. Setting up simulations is made easier with a new particle shape tool that provides a library of predefined shapes with one or more spherical surfaces, ready to be selected and easily modifiable to create the different particle types needed in a simulation.

In parallel, the Generic EDEM Material Model (GEMM) database is now part of EDEM 2017 and has been built directly into the EDEM creator. The GEMM database is a key resource that contains thousands of EDEM material models representing a wide range of materials such as rocks, soils, and ores. This resource previously available on the EDEM website only has proven a key tool for users – giving them quick and easy access to fit-for-purpose material models that produce realistic material behavior. The GEMM database has been expanded to include even more models and its integration in EDEM 2017 means users can access a range of materials instantly and can fully setup materials for a simulation without being a DEM expert.

On the post-processing side, in the EDEM analyst, users will benefit from enhancements including multiple viewer windows that enables them to split the screen to look at their simulation from different angles and an improved graphing tool that offers a cleaner look and more flexibility. Additional functionality also includes a range of display options such as a wider choice of colors and the ability to select multiple geometries and apply the same settings to all at once, which greatly speeds up the workflow.

“This year marks the 10-year anniversary of the first release of EDEM,” said Mark Cook, EDEM product manager. “We took this opportunity to revisit the way our customers use EDEM and make changes to reflect that. The layout of the EDEM interface had been largely unchanged since version 1.0 but the way users work with EDEM has evolved. EDEM 2017 comes with a brand new look and user interface and a much more efficient workflow. In addition, the new EDEM GPU solver engine will greatly speed up simulations resulting in greater productivity for our users.”

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