A Combined Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics and Discrete Element Method Approach for Granular Collapse and Induced Wave Generation: Validations and Performance Test

Granular collapse-induced wave generation is a critical process in coastal engineering and natural hazards, yet its rapid and complex fluid–solid coupling mechanism poses significant challenges for numerical modeling. This paper presents a comprehensive validations and performance benchmarking study of non-spherical granular collapse-induced wave generation using a GPU-accelerated resolved SPH-DEM coupling framework. Through three benchmark cases with increasing complexity, the numerical accuracy and robustness of the model are thoroughly verified with respect to free-surface flows, multi-body collisions, and intense fluid–solid interactions. Subsequently, the influence of SPH resolution and particle shape on computational efficiency is quantitatively assessed. It is found that the total runtime is dominated by the number of SPH particles, while the GPU acceleration advantage becomes more pronounced as the number of DEM faces increases. Furthermore, in the granular collapse-induced wave case, the temporal evolution of the leading wave amplitude and the difference in granular runout distance under dry and wet conditions are analyzed, revealing from the particle scale how fluid resistance modulates the coupling between wave generation and granular motion. This study not only validates the capability of the model to capture complex particle–wave interactions, but also provides quantifiable performance benchmarks and physical insights for its engineering applications.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
Published
2026-08-20
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14161546
Primary Topic
Fluid Dynamics Simulations and Interactions
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

A Combined Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics and Discrete Element Method Approach for Granular Collapse and Induced Wave Generation: Validations and Performance Test

Li Zou, Yingjie Hu, Zhimin Zhao, N. Govender et al.
Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
Fluid Dynamics Simulations and Interactions
article

A Combined Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics and Discrete Element Method Approach for Granular Collapse and Induced Wave Generation: Validations and Performance Test

Li Zou, Yingjie Hu, Zhimin Zhao, N. Govender, Jiazhao Sun, Xiangqian Fan
article en

Abstract

Granular collapse-induced wave generation is a critical process in coastal engineering and natural hazards, yet its rapid and complex fluid–solid coupling mechanism poses significant challenges for numerical modeling. This paper presents a comprehensive validations and performance benchmarking study of non-spherical granular collapse-induced wave generation using a GPU-accelerated resolved SPH-DEM coupling framework. Through three benchmark cases with increasing complexity, the numerical accuracy and robustness of the model are thoroughly verified with respect to free-surface flows, multi-body collisions, and intense fluid–solid interactions. Subsequently, the influence of SPH resolution and particle shape on computational efficiency is quantitatively assessed. It is found that the total runtime is dominated by the number of SPH particles, while the GPU acceleration advantage becomes more pronounced as the number of DEM faces increases. Furthermore, in the granular collapse-induced wave case, the temporal evolution of the leading wave amplitude and the difference in granular runout distance under dry and wet conditions are analyzed, revealing from the particle scale how fluid resistance modulates the coupling between wave generation and granular motion. This study not only validates the capability of the model to capture complex particle–wave interactions, but also provides quantifiable performance benchmarks and physical insights for its engineering applications.

Journal of Marine Science and EngineeringVol. 14(16)
Dalian University of Technology (CN), Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou) (CN), Research Center Pharmaceutical Engineering (Austria) (AT), Ocean University of China (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China
Life below water
Openalex Percentile: Top 12%
Fluid Dynamics Simulations and Interactions
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