Three-dimensional modeling and simulation of asphalt concrete mixtures based on X-ray CT microstructure images

X-ray CT (computed tomography) was used to scan asphalt mixture specimen to obtain high resolution continuous cross-section images and the meso-structure. According to the theory of three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction, the 3D reconstruction algorithm was investigated in this paper. The key to the reconstruction technique is the acquisition of the voxel positions and the relationship between the pixel element and node. Three-dimensional numerical model of asphalt mixture specimen was created by a self-developed program. A splitting test was conducted to predict the stress distributions of the asphalt mixture and verify the rationality of the 3D model.