Characterization of the packing of aggregate in concrete by a discrete element approach

Aggregate roughly takes up three-quarters of the volume of concrete, so it plays an important role in the properties of concrete. A particle packing phenomenon exists in a wide range of fields as well as in concrete technology. A spherical grain shape is generally adopted in conventional discrete element simulation (DES) systems, despite imposing serious limitations. In this paper, a flexible simulation strategy is presented for the simulation of arbitrary-shaped aggregate grains used in concrete technology. This simulation approach is also incorporated in a concurrent algorithm-based DES system. Furthermore, a method has been developed for the assessment of properties pertaining to arbitrary shaped particles, such as mass, centre of mass, and moment of inertia. Some trials of particle packing with different shapes are also revealed and discussed in this paper.