On the load bearing mechanisms of cemented granular material: A mesoscale FE approach

Abstract The numerical investigation of cemented granular material (CGM) is a demanding task that requires the combination of various scientific disciplines. At the mesoscale, CGM is decomposed into the constituents of particles, cement matrix and void pores. The combination of these constituents, as found in nature or in civil infrastructure projects, creates a highly heterogeneous structure, whose morphology defines the response of the CGM under mechanical loading. The composite internal structure is quantified by means of x‐ray Computed Tomography, which provides 16‐bit grayscale 3D images of the scanned microsamples. These images are decomposed into the three constituent materials to be investigated and modeled. Still, the ability of simple Cartesian grids to adequately carry information about curved geometries and provide accurate representations is questioned. In order to overcome staircase effect errors, the interfaces of the material inclusions are smoothed and re‐defined, making use of Gaussian blurred signed distance fields (SDF). These level‐set derived interfaces serve as a reference for the volume reconstruction of the image via tetrahedra. The comparison of the raw and the smoothened images to analytical geometry Standards suggests that the above reconstruction alleviates the grid's inherited uncertainities. In addition, a comparison between a non smoothed and a smoothed meshed image is performed in terms of mechanical response, utilizing the Finite Element (FE) Method. The results suggest that even a slight change in the granular contact fabric can alter the unfolding stress transmission mechanisms.