Microstructure Characterization of Asphalt Mixtures with 2- and 3-Point Correlation Functions

ABSTRACT The majority of micromechanics models available in the literature to estimate effective properties of asphalt mixtures are based only on the mechanical properties and the volumetric fraction information of its constituents. However, significant improvements in the prediction of these models can be obtained if higher-order microstructural information provided by n-point correlation functions is included. This paper proposes a simplified algorithm to estimate the 2- and 3-point correlation functions of asphalt mixtures microstructures. The proposed algorithm approximates the correlation functions based on Monte Carlo simulations. Analytical solutions for the 2- and 3-point correlation functions of a heterogeneous material made of penetrable spheres are compared with the approximated functions obtained with the proposed method. The approximated correlation functions are in good agreement with the analytical solutions. In this paper, microstructure characterization of asphalt mixtures is obtained by means of digital processed images and the approximated 2-and 3-point correlation functions.