Microstructural modelling of cement-based materials via random packing of three-dimensional ellipsoidal particles

Abstract Random packing of particles in cement-based materials plays an important role in microstructural evolution. The preponderance of preview work has focused on the microstructural model by the random packing of spherical or two-dimensional elliptical particles, and little is known about three-dimensional ellipsoidal particles. In the present work, a new random packing model of three-dimensional ellipsoidal particles was developed to simulate microstructure of cement-based materials. It was based on a novel numerical algorithm for detecting the contact of ellipsoidal particles. The accuracy and reliability of the algorithm were verified by a visualization of the random packing of monodispersed ellipsoidal particles with rigid boundary conditions. According to these numerical algorithms, microstructural model of cement-based materials was constructed by the random packing of polydispersed ellipsoidal particles, of which sizes satisfy a specific distribution. Finally, applied stereological tools and serial sectioning analysis technique, microstructure of cement pastes, composed of ellipsoidal cement particles, was characterized and compared with that of spherical cement particles.

[1]  Jianjun Zheng,et al.  A numerical algorithm for the ITZ area fraction in concrete with elliptical aggregate particles , 2009 .

[2]  K. Van Breugel,et al.  Simulation of hydration and formation of structure in hardening cement-based materials , 1991 .

[3]  E. Garboczi,et al.  Three-dimensional mathematical analysis of particle shape using X-ray tomography and spherical harmonics : Application to aggregates used in concrete , 2002 .

[4]  G. C. Barker.  Computer Simulations of Granular Materials , 1994 .

[5]  L. J. Sluys,et al.  Characterization of the packing of aggregate in concrete by a discrete element approach , 2009 .

[6]  Huisu Chen,et al.  An overlapping detection algorithm for random sequential packing of elliptical particles , 2011 .

[7]  Garboczi,et al.  Intrinsic conductivity of objects having arbitrary shape and conductivity. , 1996, Physical review. E, Statistical physics, plasmas, fluids, and related interdisciplinary topics.

[8]  Edward J. Garboczi,et al.  Multiscale Analytical/Numerical Theory of the Diffusivity of Concrete , 1998 .

[9]  Jeffrey J. Thomas,et al.  Relationships between Composition and Density of Tobermorite, Jennite, and Nanoscale CaO−SiO2−H2O , 2010 .

[10]  David A Lange,et al.  Image analysis techniques for characterization of pore structure of cement-based materials , 1994 .

[11]  Xin-zhu Zhou,et al.  Notice of RetractionA forest fire algorithm for the percolation of ITZs in concrete with elliptical aggregates , 2010, 2010 Sixth International Conference on Natural Computation.

[12]  Edward J. Garboczi,et al.  Percolation of phases in a three-dimensional cement paste microstructural model , 1991 .

[13]  J. Hu.  Porosity of concrete - morphological study of model concrete , 2004 .

[14]  A. Munjiza,et al.  The modelling of particle systems with real shapes , 2004, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences.

[15]  Huisu Chen,et al.  Mesostructural characterization of particulate composites via a contact detection algorithm of ellipsoidal particles , 2012 .

[16]  H. He,et al.  Computational Modelling of Particle Packing in Concrete , 2010 .

[17]  Xinzhu Zhou,et al.  Percolation of ITZs in Concrete and Effects of Attributing Factors , 2007 .

[18]  J. Perram,et al.  Statistical Mechanics of Hard Ellipsoids. I. Overlap Algorithm and the Contact Function , 1985 .

[19]  Edward J. Garboczi,et al.  Multi-Scale Microstructural Modeling of Concrete Diffusivity: Identification of Significant Varibles , 1998 .

[20]  Huisu Chen,et al.  A 2D elliptical model of random packing for aggregates in concrete , 2010 .

[21]  D. Vidal,et al.  Determination of particle shape distribution of clay using an automated AFM image analysis method , 2010 .

[22]  前川 宏一,et al.  Modelling of concrete performance : hydration, microstructure formation, and mass transport , 1999 .

[23]  Z. M. Wang,et al.  Mesoscopic study of concrete I: generation of random aggregate structure and finite element mesh , 1999 .

[24]  Jin-Young Park,et al.  Representation of real particles for DEM simulation using X-ray tomography , 2007 .

[25]  Snyder,et al.  Geometrical percolation threshold of overlapping ellipsoids. , 1995, Physical review. E, Statistical physics, plasmas, fluids, and related interdisciplinary topics.

[26]  Hamid Sadouki,et al.  Simulation and analysis of composite structures , 1985 .