Numerical and analytical length scale investigation on viscoelastic behavior of bituminous composites: Focusing on mortar scale

International audienceViscoelastic properties of asphalt mixture were studied through a multi-scale approach, including bitumen, mastic, mortar, and mixture length scale. Biphasic and triphasic finite element modeling were employed to construct the heterogeneous models of bituminous composites, including matrix, inclusions, and air voids. The 2S2P1D model consisting of two springs, two parabolic creep elements, and one dashpot was fitted on the output of the numerical model, i.e., dynamic modulus (E*) and phase angle (δ), to accurately determine the Prony series. Then, the data of each scale was utilized as a matrix for the next scale’s model. Three cutting sizes, including 3.35, 2.36, and 1.7 mm were selected based on the previous experimental study of Khodadadi et al. (2021) to generate the mortar model and find the best length scale of the matrix. In addition, the numerical results were compared with the results of the generalized self-consistent scheme model as an analytical approach. Both numerical and the generalized self-consistent scheme models yield adequate results; nevertheless, the numerical solution has more accuracy than the analytical model. The cutting size of the mortar scale had a considerable effect on the LVE properties of the mixture. The result showed that a cutting size of 3.35 mm is more suitable for a mixture with a nominal maximum aggregate size of 19 mm. These findings were consistent with the experimental results