title: X-ray tomography system to investigate granular materials during mechanical loading.
abstract: We integrate a small and portable medical x-ray device with mechanical testing equipment to enable in situ, non-invasive measurements of a granular material's response to mechanical loading. We employ an orthopedic C-arm as the x-ray source and detector to image samples mounted in the materials tester. We discuss the design of a custom rotation stage, which allows for sample rotation and tomographic reconstruction under applied compressive stress. We then discuss the calibration of the system for 3D computed tomography, as well as the subsequent image reconstruction process. Using this system to reconstruct packings of 3D-printed particles, we resolve packing features with 0.52 mm resolution in a (60 mm)(3) field of view. By analyzing the performance bounds of the system, we demonstrate that the reconstructions exhibit only moderate noise.
authors.affiliation: James Franck Institute and Department of Physics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Athanasios G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Athanassiadis
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: La Rivière
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Emil
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sidky
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation and Cellular Oncology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pelizzari
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Xiaochuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: James Franck Institute and Department of Physics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Heinrich M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Jaeger
mesh_terms: D002138:Calibration; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000737:chemistry*; D014056:Tomography, X-Ray / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D016474:Weight-Bearing
chemical_list: D052638:Particulate Matter