Dem-driven investigation and AutoML-Enhanced prediction of Macroscopic behavior in cementitious composites with Variable frictional parameters

• A DEM-based numerical framework was developed to analyze the effect of frictional parameters on macroscopic behavior in CSCC. • An optimized AutoML-driven ANN model was proposed to predict UCS, E, and ν based on DEM microparameters. • The hybrid DEM-ML approach enables accurate macroparameter predictions, eliminating the need for additional simulations. This study presents a numerical investigation and predictive modeling framework to evaluate the influence of microscale frictional parameters on the mechanical behavior and failure mechanisms of cementitious composites. In the first phase, discrete element modeling (DEM) was employed to analyze the effects of bonded friction angle and non-bonded friction coefficient on the stress–strain response, failure evolution, and macro-scale properties. The results revealed a distinct transition from tensile to shear-dominated failure modes beyond a critical friction angle, accompanied by notable changes in compressive strength and deformation characteristics. Additionally, the role of non-bonded friction coefficient in post-failure behavior was identified, emphasizing its influence on load-redistribution. In the second phase, an AutoML-driven artificial neural network (ANN) was optimized via grid search, selecting an optimal four-layer model to predict macroparameters from microscale DEM inputs. The proposed ANN demonstrated high predictive accuracy, effectively capturing nonlinear dependencies while significantly reducing the need for additional numerical simulations. This integration of DEM and AI-based predictive modeling provides a computationally efficient, scalable solution for material characterization, enabling faster, data-driven insights into cementitious composite behavior without reliance on extensive simulation campaigns.