Influence of particle packing on elastic properties of concrete

Concrete is a complex composite material, and thus its main components on a meso-scale should be considered when studying its global elastic properties. As a main ingredient of concrete, aggregate will have an influence on the elastic properties of concrete. The present study considers particle shape and particle packing. The densely packed structure of arbitrary-shaped aggregate is simulated by a concurrent algorithm-based discrete element modelling system. A comparison is made of the data produced by numerical models, either based on arbitrary angularly shaped or spherical particles. This is by means of the finite-element method. The results can be used to evaluate the adequacy 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 interfacial transition zone (ITZ) and the matrix are also addressed.