Mesoscale Modeling of Polymer Concrete Dynamic Properties

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Computational Mechanics

Background:

• Accurate prediction of composite material dynamic properties is essential during the design phase.
• Mesoscale finite element modeling offers a powerful approach for simulating these properties.
• Polymer concrete, a widely used composite, requires detailed modeling for performance prediction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a mesoscale modeling approach for predicting the dynamic properties of polymer concrete.
• To utilize substructural identification, a model updating technique, for enhanced accuracy.
• To investigate the contribution of different components, including the interfacial transition zone (ITZ), to the overall dynamic behavior.

Main Methods:

• Finite element modeling (FEM) was employed to construct a mesoscale model of a polymer concrete beam.
• The model was decoupled into substructures: polymer matrix, aggregates, and the interfacial transition zone (ITZ).
• Substructural identification, based on frequency response functions, was used for iterative model updating and parameter determination, including damping.

Main Results:

• The mesoscale finite element model successfully predicted the dynamic properties of the polymer concrete beam.
• Substructural identification enabled the accurate determination of parameters for substructures like the ITZ, which cannot be isolated.
• The method quantified the damping contribution of the ITZ to the composite structure.

Conclusions:

• Mesoscale finite element modeling combined with substructural identification is an effective method for predicting the dynamic properties of polymer concrete.
• This approach accurately accounts for damping effects, particularly those originating from the interfacial transition zone.
• The study highlights the capability of substructural identification to model complex composite behaviors and determine parameters of unisolatable components.