[en] Concrete ; elastic properties ; Particle packing ; FEM ; DEM
[en] Concrete is a complex composite material. Hence, the main components of concrete on meso-scale should be considered when studying its global elastic properties. As a main ingredient of concrete, aggregate will exert influences on the elastic properties of concrete. In the present study, particularly particle shape and particle packing are considered of relevance. The densely packed structure of arbitrary shaped aggregate is simulated by a concurrent algorithm-based discrete element modelling (DEM) system. A comparison is pursued of data, produced by numerical models, either based on arbitrary angular-shaped particles or on spherical ones. This will be accomplished by means of the finite element method (FEM). The results can be used to evaluate the adequacy for this purpose of conventional numerical or analytical models based on spherical aggregates. The influences exerted on the elastic properties of concrete by other factors, such as the mechanical and physical properties of the aggregate, the ITZ and the matrix will also be addressed in this study.
