3D Analysis of Surface Topography of Sand Particles Using Spectral Methods
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 36, Issue 5
Abstract
The surface roughness of the particles in a granular material plays a significant role in its engineering behavior. Because the microsurface features that contribute to the roughness are highly complex and irregular in nature, precise topographical measurements and a mathematically rigorous computational approach are needed for the accurate quantification of surface roughness. In this study, surface roughness of particles from three different sands that represent different sizes and shapes was quantified using spectral methods. A 3D noncontact optical profilometer was used to obtain a high-resolution representative scan area of sand particles. Higher-order moments of the power spectral density (PSD) were used to compute surface roughness parameters such as asperity slope and curvature. The surface roughness values were found to increase with the slope and curvature of the asperities. The value of asperity density, which has a physical significance in contact mechanics, was estimated to be about eight for all type of sands studied. Fractal analysis was carried out on the data obtained from profilometer and microcomputed tomography () scans to compute the fractal dimensions of sand particles using these two different instruments and compare them. Further, the angle of repose of different sands was correlated to their surface roughness.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the support extended by the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, in using their optical profilometer for this study and the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) of the government of India for providing financial support to develop the computational facilities required for this study.
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 36 • Issue 5 • May 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 2, 2023
Accepted: Oct 26, 2023
Published online: Feb 22, 2024
Published in print: May 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Jul 22, 2024
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