Computed tomography investigation of microgravity-tested sand samples

Abstract

Computed Tomography (CT) is being used to investigate the complex internal structure of axisymmetric (triaxial) sand specimens. A series of triaxial experiments was conducted on dry Ottawa sand specimens at very low effective confining stresses in a microgravity environment aboard the Space Shuttle during two missions. Post-flight analysis includes studying the internal fabric and failure patterns using CT. In addition ground-tested specimens subjected to different compression levels are scanned to investigate the evolution of instability patterns, quantify void ratio variation, and provide a direct comparison with microgravity specimens. For an upcoming Shuttle mission, trial specimens are scanned to investigate an experimental reforming method for flight and evaluate techniques for reconstituting specimens. The CT technique demonstrates good ability to detect specimen inhomogeneities and localization patterns, and quantify void ratio variation within sand specimens.