High-temperature Creep Behavior Characterization of Asphalt Mixture based on Micromechanical Modeling and Virtual Test

The high-temperature creep behavior of asphalt mixture was investigated based on micromechanical modeling and virtual test by using three-dimensional discrete element method（DEM）. A user-defined micromechanical model of asphalt mixture was established after analyzing the irregular shape and gradation of coarse aggregates, the viscoelastic property of asphalt mastic, and the random distribution of air voids within the asphalt mixture. Virtual uniaxial static creep test at 60 ℃ was conducted by using Particle Flow Code in three dimensions（PFC3D） and was validated by laboratory test. Based on virtual creep test, the micromechanical characteristics between aggregates, within asphalt mastic, and between aggregate and asphalt mastic were analyzed for the asphalt mixture. It is proved that the virtual test based on the micromechanical model can efficiently predict the creep deformation of asphalt mixture. And the high-temperature behavior of asphalt mixture was characterized from micromechanical perspective.

Theoretical aspects of selecting repeated unit cell model in micromechanical analysis using displacement-based finite element method

Repeated Unit Cell（RUC）is a useful tool in micromechanical analysis of composites using Displacement-based Finite Element（DFE）method,and merely applying Periodic Displacement Boundary Conditions（PDBCs）to RUC is almost a standard practice to conduct such analysis.Two basic questions arising from this practice are whether Periodic Traction Boundary Conditions（PTBCs,also known as traction continuity conditions）are guaranteed and whether the solution is independent of selection of RUCs.This paper presents the theoretical aspects to tackle these questions,which unify the strong form,weak form and DFE method of the micromechanical problem together.Specifically,the solution’s independence of selection of RUCs is dealt with on the strong form side,PTBCs are derived from the weak form as natural boundary conditions,and the validity of merely applying PDBCs in micromechanical Finite Element（FE）analysis is proved by referring to its intrinsic connection to the strong form and weak form.Key points in the theoretical aspects are demonstrated by illustrative examples,and the merits of setting micromechanical FE analysis under the background of a clear theoretical framework are highlighted in the efficient selection of RUCs for Uni Directional（UD）fiber-reinforced composites.

Effect of particle polydispersity on micromechanical properties and energy dissipation in granular mixtures

A series of numerical tests was conducted to study the micromechanical properties and energy dissipation in polydisperse assemblies of spherical particles subjected to uniaxial compression. In general, distributed particle size assemblies with standard deviations ranging from 0% to 80% of the particle mean diameter were examined. The microscale analyses included the trace of the fabric tensor, magnitude and orien- tation of the contact forces, trace of stress, number of contacts and degree of mobilization of friction in contacts between particles. In polydisperse samples, the average coordination numbers were lower than in monodisperse assemblies, and the mobilization of friction was higher than in monodisperse assemblies due to the non-uniform spatial rearrangement of spheres in the samples and the smaller displacements of the particles. The effect of particle size heterogeneity on both the energy density and energy dissipation in systems was also investigated.