Characterization of Soil Porosity Using X-Ray Computed Tomography

摘要

The non-destructive nature of CT scanning allows the same soil sample to be scanned multiple times. Because the soil structure is not affected by the procedure, CT scanning provides an opportunity to investigate particle and pore characteristics at any time and location within a soil sample. High quality digital images can be obtained of soil microstructure during loading or during environmental changes, such as fluctuations in temperatures or moisture. Non-destructive systematic test methods are described for quantifying microscale measurements of scanned digital images using x-ray computer-aided tomography (CT). Tomographic analyses conducted on six different soils indicate that x-ray CT technology provides a viable means for nondestructively observing and measuring grain size distribution, pore characteristics, and pore size distributions of granular soils.