  The use of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations has led to promising results
to unravel the atomistic origins of adhesive wear, and in particular for the
onset of wear at nanoscale surface asperities. However, MD simulations come
with a high computational cost and offer access to only a narrow window of time
and length scales. We propose here to resort to the discrete element method
(DEM) to mitigate the computational cost. Using DEM particles with contact and
cohesive forces, we reproduce the key mechanisms observed with MD, while having
particle diameters and system sizes an order of magnitude higher than with MD.
The pairwise forces are tuned to obtain a solid with reasonably approximated
elastic and fracture properties. The simulations of single asperity wear
performed with MD are successfully reproduced with DEM using a range particle
sizes, validating the coarse-graining procedure. More complex simulations
should allow the study of wear particles and the evolution of worn surfaces in
an adhesive wear context, while reaching scales inaccessible to MD.
