Quantitative Analysis on Force Chain of Asphalt Mixture under Haversine Loading

Mingfeng Chang,Jianzhong Pei,Binhui Zheng,Jiupeng Zhang,Pingming Huang

doi:10.1155/2017/7128602

Mingfeng Chang, Jianzhong Pei + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/7128602

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Abstract

AC-13 asphalt mixture was taken as the research object to investigate the evolution and distribution laws of force chains. A digital specimen of AC-13 asphalt mixture was reconstructed using the discrete element method (DEM) to simulate the simple performance test (SPT). Next, the force chain information among aggregate particles was extracted to analyze the evolution, probability distribution, and angle distribution of force chains. The results indicate that the AC-13 mesoscopic model reconstructed using the DEM is feasible to simulate the mesoscopic mechanical properties of asphalt mixture by comparing the predicted results and laboratory test results. The spatial distributions of force chains are anisotropic. The probability distributions of normal force chains varying with the loading times are consistent. Furthermore, the probability distribution has the maximum value at the minimumf(the ratio of contact force to mean contact force); the peak value appears again atf= 1.75 and then gradually decreases and tends to be stable. In addition, the angle distributions of force chains mainly locate near 90° and 270°, and the proportions of strong force chains are slightly greater than 50%, but the maximum proportion is only 51.12%.

Highlights

Asphalt mixture is a multiphase composite material, which comprises aggregates, asphalt binder, and air voids
Tordesillas et al viewed the force chain buckling in a constrained granular medium from the structural mechanics, investigated the force chain evolution for cohesionless granular systems, and presented a regularized two-dimensional model for the force chain buckling [6,7,8]
The anisotropic force chain networks directly reflected the mesoscopic responses within the asphalt mixture and the force chain evolution internal aggregates and internal mastic and at the interfaces of aggregates/mastic

Summary

Introduction

Asphalt mixture is a multiphase composite material, which comprises aggregates, asphalt binder, and air voids. There exists the interaction force among the contacting particles that forms the loading transmission paths in a granular system, so Bouchaud et al proposed the concept of force chain after observing stress distribution, propagation, and arching within granular media [1, 2]. Tordesillas et al examined the relationship between force cycles and force chain in a dense granular material under quasistatic biaxial loading using a discrete element simulation and analyzed the spatial patterns of force chain buckling with multiscale characterization [13, 14]. It can be found that the researches on force chains concentrate on the granular material with regular morphology, single particle size, and smooth edges by the literature cited above. The asphalt mixture comprises the aggregates with different morphology, geometric shapes, and broad particle size, and the asphalt binder with bond effect. Its spatial and temporal evolution and distribution laws of force chains have not yet reported

Determination of DEM Viscoelastic Mesoscopic Parameters

Reconstruction of Digital Specimen and Verification of Mesoscopic Model

Results and Discussion

Conclusions