Influence of 3D particle shape on the mechanical behaviour through a novel characterization method

The sensitivity of the mechanical behaviour of railway ballast to particle shape variation is studied through Discrete Element Method (DEM) numerical simulations, focusing on some basic parameters such as solid fraction, coordination number, or force distribution. We present an innovative method to characterize 3D particle shape using Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) of scanned ballast grains with a high accuracy. The method enables not only shape characterization but also the generation of 3D distinct and angular shapes. Algorithms are designed for face and edge recognition.