Modeling of Asphalt Concrete Fracture Tests with the Discrete-Element Method
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 32, Issue 8
Abstract
In this work, the discrete-element method was used to simulate crack propagation in asphalt concrete in two types of laboratory tests: the disk-shaped compact (DCT) test and the single-edge-notched beam (SEB) test with the three-point bending technique. The heterogeneous models were numerically simulated using the clump technique to represent the shapes of the aggregate, the particle size distribution, and the air voids in the asphalt concrete mixture. The overall mechanical behavior and the fracture propagation were simulated by the cohesive zone model, in the potential fracture area, and the viscoelastic Burger’s model, in the remaining region of the samples. To obtain the values of the micro parameters required for the discrete-element model, a trial and error process was carried out comparing the mechanical behavior observed when considering the macro parameters of the asphalt concrete determined in laboratory tests. The numerical and experimental results are in good general agreement.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. The codes generated in Fish code from the fracture test simulations, the disk-shaped compact test, and the single-edge-notched beam test are available.
Acknowledgments
This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brasil (CAPES)—Finance Code 001. The authors also thank Fabio Hirsch and Laura Motta from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro for providing the laboratory data used in this research.
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 32 • Issue 8 • August 2020
Copyright
©2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 3, 2019
Accepted: Feb 11, 2020
Published online: May 31, 2020
Published in print: Aug 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Oct 31, 2020
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