Meso-mechanical investigations on the overall elastic properties of multi-phase construction materials using finite element method

摘要

Many construction materials are multi-phase composites in mesoscale, and therefore their overall mechanical properties strongly depend upon those of each component. Elastic properties are critical parameters in the overall performance and analysis of composites, and they are also of practical importance in design. Owning to randomness in the particle locations of each component, the overall performance of a multi-phase material also is not a deterministic value. As a result, prediction of the elastic properties of a multi-phase material is a challenging task. In the present study, a numerical simulation algorithm was proposed to investigate fully the overall elastic properties of composite samples. Finite element models, coupled with Monte Carlo simulations, subsequently were used to predict the overall modulus and Poisson's ratio. Specifically, two typical types of construction materials were considered; soil-rock mixtures and concrete. For validation, the numerical simulation results of elastic moduli were compared with experimental test results and the comparison gave good agreement between numerical and the test results. Moreover, the influence of parameters, such as the elastic modulus of each phase, particle shape, size distribution and porosity, on the overall elastic modulus, were considered via parametric studies. Finally, the proposed numerical simulation algorithm was compared with some existing empirical models and the comparison results underscored the importance of the numerical model developed in this study. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.