Mathematical modeling | Numerical analysis | Cellular automata
Movable cellular automaton
The movable cellular automaton (MCA) method is a method in computational solid mechanics based on the discrete concept. It provides advantages both of classical cellular automaton and discrete element methods. One important advantage of the MCA method is that it permits direct simulation of material fracture, including damage generation, crack propagation, fragmentation, and mass mixing. It is difficult to simulate these processes by means of continuum mechanics methods (For example: finite element method, finite difference method, etc.), so some new concepts like peridynamics are required. Discrete element method is very effective to simulate granular materials, but mutual forces among movable cellular automata provides simulating solids behavior. As the cell size of the automaton approaches zero, MCA behavior approaches classical continuum mechanics methods. The MCA method was developed in the group of S.G. Psakhie (Wikipedia).
