Pfc Flac Coupling

PFC FLAC Coupling

Use this skill to explain, adapt, or generate PFC-FLAC/FLAC3D coupling workflows. The skill is self-contained: baseline PFC/FLAC command-flow examples are stored under scripts/canonical/.

Parent Skill Relationship

pfc-flac-coupling is a child skill of pfc-workflow. It does not own the full PFC lifecycle. Use it for discrete-continuum coupling scenario selection, FLAC/PFC handoff contracts, wall-zone/interface setup, and version-risk notes. Return to pfc-workflow for full case planning, solve orchestration, post-processing routing, verification, and delivery.

Parent/child split:

• Parent pfc-workflow: owns complete PFC project lifecycle and decides when FLAC-coupling support is needed.
• Child pfc-flac-coupling: owns PFC-FLAC/FLAC3D handoff patterns, coupling stages, command-flow contracts, and saved-state assumptions.
• Sibling child pfc-fluid-coupling: owns PFC CFD/seepage/buoyancy workflows that do not require FLAC coupling.
• Sibling child pfc-standard-tests: owns standard mechanical-test templates and stage normalization.
• Sibling child pfc-servo-calibration: owns servo control and manual calibration sequencing.
• Sibling child pfc-postprocessing: owns standard figures and field exports after solve.
• Sibling child pfc-ae-energy: owns AE, energy, and source-mechanism outputs after solve.

When To Use

Use through pfc-workflow when a task uses both continuum zones and particles:

• Explain PFC-FLAC or PFC-FLAC3D coupling stages.
• Set up zone continua with particle or wall coupling.
• Use wall-zone create or interface-style boundary transfer.
• Organize coupled command flows and saved-state checkpoints.
• Decide which side owns gravity, boundary conditions, material model, and outputs.
• Document version-specific risks around .f3sav, .f3prj, .sav, and coupling commands.

Required Inputs

Ask for these if missing:

• Software versions: PFC, FLAC, FLAC3D, and whether they are run in one coupled environment.
• Coupling scenario: slope, rockfall, foundation, excavation, granular-continuum interaction, or custom.
• Continuum side: zone geometry, constitutive model, boundary conditions, density, gravity, and saved state.
• Particle side: particle generation, contact model, density, damping, and domain.
• Handoff boundary: wall-zone, interface, structural element, geometry surface, or file-based exchange.
• Required outputs: continuum displacement/stress, particle trajectories, contact forces, coupled histories, or exported fields.

Canonical Template Map

Coupling Checklist

Use this checklist before writing or changing coupled logic:

1. Confirm which program owns the base continuum state and which program owns particle generation.
2. Create and solve the continuum baseline before introducing particles.
3. Save the continuum baseline state before coupling.
4. Create a coupling boundary: wall-zone, interface, or another explicit handoff surface.
5. Generate particles only after the continuum/coupling boundary exists.
6. Confirm gravity, density, damping, and timestep strategy on both sides.
7. Add histories for continuum displacement/stress and particle/contact response.
8. Save coupled milestones separately from uncoupled baseline states.
9. Avoid relying on old binary saves as the only reproducible source.

Working Rules

• Prefer PFC 6.0/FLAC3D 6-era syntax unless the user explicitly targets another version.
• Treat files in scripts/canonical/ as reference templates, not final coupled projects.
• Keep auxiliary file contracts explicit: continuum state, particle state, coupling boundary, and generated outputs.
• Do not bundle or require large PDFs, old project files, or binary saves as the core workflow.
• If old command snippets use .txt, preserve them as readable references and convert to .dat only after syntax audit.
• If the task becomes a full model run or validation study, hand control back to pfc-workflow.

Output Contract

A complete child-skill handoff back to pfc-workflow should include:

• The selected PFC-FLAC coupling pattern and why it fits.
• Required files or snippets from scripts/canonical/<case>/.
• Which side owns geometry, material model, boundary conditions, gravity, and histories.
• Coupling boundary definition and saved-state sequence.
• Version and binary-save risk notes.
• Outputs needed to validate coupled response.
• A clear note that full case execution, post-processing routing, V&V, and delivery continue in pfc-workflow.

Local Contents

• references/overview.md: detailed self-contained PFC-FLAC coupling boundaries and source map.
• examples/README.md: how to validate bundled coupling demonstrations.
• scripts/canonical/: PFC-FLAC coupling command-flow sources.
• scripts/canonical/manifest.json: file inventory with sizes and SHA-256 hashes.
• scripts/README.md: helper-script policy and future maintenance guidance.