A new method to identify void constrictions in micro-CT images of sand

Micro-Computed Tomography (micro-CT) provides 3D images of the internal structure of sands, allowing quantitative measurements of internal features, including void topology. Methods have already been proposed to measure constriction sizes from idealised particle arrangements or from micro-CT data, however the 3D geometry of constrictions in sands is extremely complex and can be difficult to interpret using existing methods. This paper outlines a new method to measure and visualise void constrictions in sands using micro-CT data, with a view to assessing performance of granular filters. The method is based on watershed segmentation of the void space. Synthetic data obtained from DEM simulations are used to validate the new algorithm and its performance against existing image-based methods is assessed by considering micro-CT data for a representative filter material.