Research on the Calibration Method of the Bonding Parameters of the EDEM Simulation Model for Asphalt Mixtures

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To enhance the accuracy and reliability of the discrete element simulation software EDEM 2023 for pavement asphalt mixture simulation, three representative coarse aggregate particles were modeled in 3D using the SolidWorks 2018 software and imported into the EDEM 2023 software for particle filling. The Hertz–Mindlin with bonding contact model was used to construct the EDEM simulation model of asphalt mixtures, and the quadratic regression model of asphalt mixtures’ splitting tensile strength and four bonding parameters, namely, normal stiffness per unit area, shear stiffness per unit area, critical normal stress, and critical shear stress, was found by the response surface methodology. The results show that the relationship between the significance magnitude of the four bonding parameters on the splitting tensile strength of the asphalt mixture simulation model is as follows: critical normal stress > shear stiffness per unit area > normal stiffness per unit area > critical shear stress. The calibration results of the bonding parameters were used for simulation verification, and the relative error between the simulation and actual splitting tensile strength was only −2.48%. The feasibility of this bonding parameter calibration method is demonstrated, and it can lay a foundation for EDEM to simulate the performance of asphalt mixtures on pavements with high-precision simulation.