Discrete element modeling and numerical simulation of waste ceramic aggregate pervious concrete considering glazed interface

This study investigates the mix design of waste ceramic aggregate permeable concrete (WCPC) and develops a discrete element method (DEM) model to capture the heterogeneous interfacial behaviour of waste ceramic aggregates. Waste ceramic aggregate (WCA) with a particle size of 5–10 mm was used to replace 50%–90% of natural coarse aggregate by volume. The effects of replacement ratio, water–cement ratio, and porosity were investigated, and a WCA replacement ratio of 70%, a water–cement ratio of 0.35, and a target porosity of 17.5% were identified as the optimum mixture considering mechanical performance and recycled aggregate utilisation. A 1% coupling-agent solution improved interfacial strength. Multi-view stereo (MVS) reconstructed aggregate geometries for DEM modelling. A DEM-based classification algorithm distinguished glazed and ceramic-body regions. Six interface contact types were established using the linear parallel-bond model to capture the heterogeneous interfacial behaviour of WCPC. Compared with a conventional DEM model without glaze-region differentiation, the proposed model showed improved agreement with experimental results, achieving a maximum prediction error of less than 1%. The proposed approach provides a reliable framework for DEM simulation of WCPC with heterogeneous aggregate interfaces.