Page 309 - Mechanics of Asphalt Microstructure and Micromechanics

Applications of Discrete Element Method 301

New Particle Emerges

j e c i l S + j e c i l S 1
a. A New Particle Emerging in the Next Slice
This Particle Disappears In the Next Slice

j e c i l S + j e c i l S 1

b. An Existing Particle Disappearing in the Next Slice

This Particle Disappears New Particle Emerges at
in the Next Slice a Similar Location

Slice j Slice j+1

c. An Existing Particle Disappearing and New Particle
Emerging at a Similar location
FIGURE 9.14 Illustration of the complexity in particle reconstruction.

The details of the whole procedure were presented in Fu et al. (2007). Based on this
procedure, 3D particles can be reconstructed. Once a particle is reconstructed, its vol-
ume, mass center coordinates, and particle orientation can be calculated following the
procedure presented in Chapters 3 and 4.