High-Speed Real-Time X-Ray Visualization of Impact Damage Inside Geomaterials

Abstract

High-speed X-ray phase contrast imaging enables in situ visualization of damage in optically opaque materials under high-rate loading conditions. This technique fits well in studying the impact damage mechanisms in geomaterials at the particle or meso-scale with observation window size in the order of millimeters. This chapter presents a series of experiments visualizing the impact damage process of various geomaterial particles. These experiments were performed with a synchronized system consisting of high-speed camera, full-field X-ray phase contrast imaging, and Kolsky compression bars. In these experiments, both single- and multiparticle configurations were examined. The X-ray phase contract images clearly demonstrated the evolution of damage within the particles, which were discussed for each configuration, revealing fundamental failure mechanisms in a particulate system under impact.