Résumé
Contact Dynamics is a numerical method, suitable for computing the dynamical motion of large collections of rigid bodies, with Coulomb friction taken into account in the event of contact. The principles of the method are sketched, in particular the way possible collisions or other nonsmooth features of the evolution are handled. As applications to granular dynamics, the construction of dry deposits and banks is simulated, in order to investigate their microstructure: force chains, geometrical anisotropy, Cauchy stress and some unexpected features of force transmission.