This proceedings contains 72 technical papers presented at the Third International Conference on Discrete Element Methods, held in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on September 23-25, 2002. Discrete element methods (DEM) include a suite of numerical techniques developed to model granular materials, rock, and other discontinua at the grain scale. Topics addressed include DEM formulation and implementation approaches, coupled methods, experimental validation, and techniques, including three-dimensional particle representations, efficient contact detection algorithms, particle packing schemes, and code design. Coupled methods include approaches to linking solid continuum and fluid models with DEM to simulate multiscale and multiphase phenomena. Applications include fundamental investigations of granular mechanics; micromechanical studies of powder, soil, and rock behavior; and large-scale modeling of geotechnical, material processing, mining, and petroleum engineering problems.
