3D characterization of sand particle-to-particle contact and morphology. (April 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Druckrey, Andrew M.; Alshibli, Khalid A.; Al-Raoush, Riyadh I.
• Is Part Of: Computers and geotechnics. Volume 74(2016)
• Page Start: 26
• Page End: 35
• Publication Date: 2016-04
• Subjects: Normal to contact -- Fabric -- Synchrotron computed tomography -- Granular materials; Engineering geology -- Data processing -- Periodicals; Soil mechanics -- Data processing -- Periodicals; Rock mechanics -- Data processing -- Periodicals; 624.1510285
• DOI: 10.1016/j.compgeo.2015.12.014
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0266-352X

Abstract

Abstract: Particle morphology, orientation, and contact configuration play a significant role in the engineering properties of granular materials. Accurate three-dimensional (3D) characterization of these parameters for experiments has historically proven difficult, especially in the context of particle contact with small particle size. This paper describes a computer code that was developed to analyze 3D images of granular materials to measure particle lengths (size), volume, surface area, global centroid location and orientation; it also provides a method to calculate particle contact location and orientation. Measurements from the proposed code can define a state of the granular material's fabric that can be used as input for micro-mechanics based constitutive models and to validate numerical discrete element simulations. A fabric tensor and its evolution is calculated based on experimental contact normal vectors that were extracted from SMT imaging of an axisymmetric triaxial compression experiment on a natural silica sand known as F-35 sand.