With an increase in the scale of industrial operations the necessity of understanding the behaviour of granular materials and examining their properties becomes increasingly important. It is associated with rapid development of industries such as: food, chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic etc., in which materials in granular form are processed. One way of description of macroscopic behaviour of granular systems is a model including interactions between individual particles and between particle and elements of construction. Current needs of both technology and science call for the new research methods that provide more accurate results and enable closer examination of processes. Development of computational techniques resulted in the elaboration of Discrete Element Method (DEM). This article is focused on DEM as proposed by Cundall & Strack [1979] which enables interpretation of processes occurring in granular bedding considering phenomena on interparticle scale. The limitations and capabilities of DEM as well as results of modelling experimental investigations are addressed.