Application of Discrete Element Modeling Techniques to Predict the Complex Modulus of Asphalt–Aggregate Hollow Cylinders Subjected to Internal Pressure

Abstract

An extension of the discrete element modeling (DEM) approach, or clustered DEM, was used to simulate the hollow cylinder tensile (HCT) test, in which various material phases (e.g., aggregates, mastic) are modeled with bonded clusters of discrete elements. The basic principle of the HCT test is the application of internal pressure to the inner cavity of a hollow cylinder specimen, which produces circumferential strain. In the present study an experimental program was conducted to measure the complex modulus of asphalt concrete mixtures at various loading rates and temperatures. The HCT test was then modeled with a two-dimensional, linear elastic DEM simulation. The current approach uses the correspondence principle to bridge between the elastic simulation and viscoelastic response. The two-dimensional morphology of the asphalt concrete mixture was captured with a high-resolution scanner, enhanced with image-processing techniques, and reconstructed into an assembly of discrete elements. The mixture complex moduli predicted in the HCT simulations were found to be in good agreement with experimental measurements across a range of test temperatures and loading frequencies for the coarse-grained mixtures investigated. Ongoing work in the area of viscoelastic constitutive modeling, fracture modeling, and three-dimensional tomography and modeling will extend the capabilities of this promising technique for fundamental studies of asphalt concrete and other particulate composites.