Abstract Concrete can be considered as a heterogeneous material at mesoscale comprising of several constituents such as aggregates, mortar and Interfacial Transition Zone (ITZ). Mechanical behavior as well as the durability characteristics of concrete is highly dependent on the mesostructure of concrete and investigating the complex phenomena surrounding concrete at mesoscale considering the heterogeneity presents an important tool to understand these complex mechanisms. Presenting the state-of-the-art developments in mesoscale modelling of concrete considering different analysis methods such as continuum Finite Element Modelling (FEM), Lattice Element Method (LEM), Rigid Body Spring Method (RBSM), Discrete Element Method (DEM) and Lattice Discrete Particle Method (LDPM) is the focus of this review paper. Effective methods to generate the geometry of consisting phases in the mesoscale models including different particle shapes and placing algorithms, selecting suitable material constitutive relations for the consisting phases are discussed for these different methods of mesoscale modelling. Potential applications including fracture mechanics and strengths and weaknesses of each technique are highlighted with possible methods to overcome the challenges of mesoscale modelling of concrete.

中文翻译：

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混凝土的中尺度建模——几何生成、放置算法、本构关系和应用的回顾

摘要 混凝土可以被认为是一种中尺度的非均质材料，由多种成分组成，如骨料、砂浆和界面过渡区（ITZ）。混凝土的力学行为以及耐久性特性高度依赖于混凝土的细观结构，考虑到异质性，研究在细观尺度上围绕混凝土的复杂现象是理解这些复杂机制的重要工具。介绍考虑不同分析方法的混凝土中尺度建模的最新进展，例如连续有限元建模 (FEM)、晶格元法 (LEM)、刚体弹簧法 (RBSM)、离散元法 (DEM)和格子离散粒子方法（LDPM）是这篇评论论文的重点。针对这些不同的中尺度建模方法，讨论了在中尺度模型中生成组成相几何形状的有效方法，包括不同的粒子形状和放置算法，为组成相选择合适的材料本构关系。包括断裂力学和每种技术的优点和缺点在内的潜在应用突出显示，并提供了克服混凝土中尺度建模挑战的可能方法。