High-Resolution Neutron and X-Ray Imaging of Granular Materials
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 139, Issue 5
Abstract
High spatial resolution () neutron tomography was performed on partially water-saturated compacted silica sand specimens with two different grain morphologies (round and angular) at Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin using cold neutrons at the cold neutron radiography and tomography beam line. A specimen mixed with heavy water was imaged for contrast comparison purposes. Microfocus X-ray imaging was also performed on these specimens with slightly higher resolution () using geometric magnification to locate the solid phase (silica particle boundaries) more precisely. Image processing was performed to remove unwanted gammas detected because of the gadox scintillator used for the high-resolution neutron imaging system. The visualization of solid, gas, and liquid phases for different grain morphologies is presented at the grain level. Using dual-modal contrast possible from simultaneous use of neutrons and X-rays, the authors introduce, for the first time, an improved ability to distinguish solid silica, liquid water, and gas phases. Quantitative analysis using three-dimensional tomography data is demonstrated for obtaining void ratio, void percentage variation over the height, and particle size distribution.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
D. Penumadu acknowledges partial support from Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) award A12-1068.
References
Al-Raoush, R., and Alshibli, K. A. (2006). “Distribution of local void ratio in porous media Systems from 3D x-ray microtomography images.” Physica A, 361(2), 441–456.
Al-Raoush, R. I., and Willson, C. S. (2005). “A pore-scale investigation of a multiphase porous media system.” J. Contam. Hydrol., 77(1–2), 67–89.
Auzerais, F. M., et al. (1996). “Transport in sandstone: A study based on three dimensional microtomography.” Geophys. Res. Lett., 23(7), 705–708.
Avizo 6.3 [Computer software]. Burlington, MA, Visualization Sciences Group.
Bardet, J. P., and Proubet, J. (1991). “A numerical investigation of the structure of persistent shear bands in granular media.” Geotechnique, 41(4), 599–613.
Berkowitz, B., and Hansen, D. P. (2001). “A numerical study of the distribution of water in partially saturated porous rock.” Transp. Porous Media, 45(2), 301–317.
Buzug, T. M. (2008). Computed tomography from photon statistics to modern cone-beam CT, Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Carminati, A., et al. (2007). “Water flow between soil aggregates.” Transp. Porous Media, 68(2), 219–236.
Cundall, P. A., and Strack, O. D. L. (1979). “A discrete numerical model for granular assemblies.” Geotechnique, 29(1), 47–65.
de Beer, F. C., and Middleton, M. F. (2006). “Neutron radiography imaging, porosity and permeability in porous rocks.” S. Afr. J. Geol., 109(4), 541–550.
Desrues, J., Chambon, R., Mokni, M., and Mazerolle, F. (1996). “Void ratio evolution inside shear bands in triaxial sand specimens studied by computed tomography.” Geotechnique, 46(3), 529–546.
Ferréol, B., and Rothman, D. H. (1995). “Lattice-Boltzmann simulations of flow through Fontainebleau sandstone.” Transp. Porous Media, 20(1–2), 3–20.
Holtz, R. D., and Kovacs, W. D. (1981). An introduction to geotechnical engineering, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
Ishakoglu, A., and Baytas, A. F. (2005). “The influence of contact angle on capillary pressure-saturation relations in a porous medium including various liquids.” Int. J. Eng. Sci., 43(8–9), 744–755.
Iwashita, K., and Oda, M. (1998). “Rolling resistance at contacts in simulation of shear band development by DEM.” J. Eng. Mech., 124(3), 285–292.
Kak, A. C., and Slaney, M. (2001). Principles of computerized tomographic imaging, Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, Philadelphia.
Kardjilov, N., et al. (2011). “A highly adaptive detector system for high resolution neutron imaging.” Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 651(1), 95–99.
Kardjilov, N., et al. (2009). “New trends in neutron imaging.” Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 605(1–2), 13–15.
Kim, F. H., Penumadu, D., and Hussey, D. S. (2012). “Water distribution variation in partially saturated granular materials using neutron imaging.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 138(2), 147–154.
Lambe, T. W., and Whitman, R. V. (1969). Soil mechanics, Wiley, New York.
Lewis, J. T., and Krinitzsky, E. L. (1976). “Neutron radiation in the study of soil and rock.” Practical applications of neutron radiography and gaging, H. Berger, ed., ASTM, Baltimore, 241–251.
Li, X. S., and Dafalias, Y. F. (2012). “Anisotropic critical state theory: Role of fabric.” J. Eng. Mech., 138(3), 263–275.
Lopes, R. T., Bessa, A. P., Braz, D., and de Jesus, E. F. O. (1999). “Neutron computerized tomography in compacted soil.” Appl. Radiat. Isot., 50(2), 451–458.
McCullough, E. C. (1975). “Photon attenuation in computed tomography.” Med. Phys., 2(6), 307–320.
Milczarek, J. J., Czachor, A., Abd El-Ghany, E. A., and Wisniewski, Z. (2005). “Dynamic neutron radiography observations of water migration in porous media.” Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 542(1–3), 232–236.
Muhunthan, B., and Chameau, J. L. (1997). “Void fabric tensor and ultimate state surface of soils.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 123(2), 173–181.
Octopus 8.4 [Computer software]. Zwijnaarde, Belgium, inCT.
Oda, M. (1972a). “Initial fabrics and their relations to mechanical properties of granular material.” Soils Found., 12(1), 17–36.
Oda, M. (1972b). “The mechanism of fabric changes during compressional deformation of sand.” Soils Found., 12(2), 1–18.
Oda, M. (1972c). “Deformation mechanism of sand in triaxial compression tests.” Soils Found., 12(4), 45–63.
Otani, J. (2010). “X-ray computed tomography for geotechnical engineering.” Advances in X-ray tomography for geomaterials, J. Desrues, C. Viggiani, and P. Bésuelle, eds., ISTE Ltd, London, U.K., 95–115.
Otsu, N. (1979). “A threshold selection method from gray-level histograms.” IEEE Trans. Syst. Man Cybern., 9(1), 62–66.
Peters, J. F. (2005). “Some fundamental aspects of the continuumization problem in granular media.” J. Eng. Math., 52(1), 231–250.
Pleinert, H., and Degueldre, C. (1995). “Neutron radiographic measurement of porosity of crystalline rock samples: A feasibility study.” J. Contam. Hydrol., 19(1), 29–46.
Razavi, M. R., Muhunthan, B., and Al Hattamleh, O. (2007). “Representative elementary volume analysis of sands using X-ray computed tomography.” ASTM Geotech. Test. J., 30(3), 212–219.
Scheel, M., et al. (2008). “Morphological clues to wet granular pile stability.” Nat. Mater., 7(3), 189–193.
Schiffer, P. (2005). “Granular physics: A bridge to sandpile stability.” Nat. Phys., 1(1), 21–22.
Schnaar, G., and Brusseau, M. L. (2005). “Pore-scale characterization of organic immiscible-liquid morphology in natural porous media using synchrotron X-ray microtomography.” Environ. Sci. Technol., 39(21), 8403–8410.
Sham, T. K., and Rivers, M. L. (2002). “A brief overview of synchrotron radiation.” Rev. Mineral. Geochem., 49(1), 117–147.
Silin, D., Tomutsa, L., Benson, S., and Patzek, T. (2011). “Microtomography and pore-scale modeling of two-phase fluid distribution.” Transp. Porous Media, 86(2), 495–515.
Sutton, S. R., et al. (2002). “Microfluorescence and microtomography analyses of heterogeneous earth and environmental materials.” Rev. Mineral. Geochem., 49(1), 429–483.
Tobin, K. W., Bingham, P. R., and Gregor, J. (2009). “Mathematics of neutron imaging.” Neutron imaging and applications, I. S. Anderson, R. L. McGreevy, and H. Z. Bilheux, ed., Springer, New York, 109–127.
Tullis, B. P., Lindsay, J. T., and Wright, S. J. (1994). “The imaging of wetting front instabilities in porous media using neutron radioscopy.” Nondestr. Test. Eval., 11(2–3), 97–106.
Vlassenbroeck, J., Dierick, M., Masschaele, B., Cnudde, V., Van Hoorebeke, L., and Jacobs, P. (2007). “Software tools for quantification of X-ray microtomography at the UGCT.” Nuclear Inst. Meth. Physics Res. Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors Assoc. Equip., 580(1), 442–445.
Wang, L. B., Frost, J. D., and Lai, J. S. (2004). “Three-dimensional digital representation of granular material microstructure from X-Ray tomography imaging.” J. Comput. Civ. Eng., 18(1), 28–35.
Wellington, S. L., and Vinegar, H. J. (1987). “X-Ray computerized tomography.” J. Pet. Technol., 39(8), 885–898.
Wildenschild, D., Hopmans, J. W., Rivers, M. L., and Kent, A. J. R. (2005). “Quantitative analysis of flow processes in a sand using synchrotron-based X-ray microtomography.” Vadose Zone J., 4(1), 112–126.
Wildenschild, D., Vaz, C. M. P., Rivers, M. L., Rikard, D., and Christensen, B. S. B. (2002). “Using X-ray computed tomography in hydrology: Systems, resolutions, and limitations.” J. Hydrol. (Amst.), 267(3–4), 285–297.
Yang, X. (2005). Three-dimensional characterization of inherent and induced sand microstructure, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta.
Yimsiri, S., and Soga, K. (2010). “DEM analysis of soil fabric effects on behaviour of sand.” Geotechnique, 60(6), 483–495.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 139 • Issue 5 • May 2013
Pages: 715 - 723
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 23, 2011
Accepted: Jul 30, 2012
Published online: Aug 4, 2012
Published in print: May 1, 2013
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.