Mesoscopic Simulation Method for Uniaxial Compression Test of RCC Dam Material Based on DEM

Abstract EN

The roller compacted concrete (RCC) dam has become one of the most competitive dam types due to its fast construction speed, low cost, and strong adaptability.

However, the macroscale compaction test can hardly reflect the mesoscopic structure on the RCC’s rolling characteristics.

According to the characteristics of RCC dam materials, a numerical discrete element method (DEM) is proposed in this paper, which is used to simulate the irregular shape and proportion of RCC aggregates.

Moreover, a mesoscopic parameter inversion method based on the adaptive differential evolution (ADE) algorithm is proposed to enhance the efficiency of model contact parameters determination and overcome the inconvenience and time-consumption of conventional methods.

Compared with the physical test, the simulation compression curve has good consistency with the physical test curve, and the proposed method can adequately reflect the physical and mechanical properties of RCC dam materials, which provides a basis for the subsequent research on the properties of RCC dam materials under different filling times.