When soft spheres make porous media stiffer

Researchers of the University of Stuttgart and the University of Twente succeeded in three-dimensional characterization – publication in PNAS

[Picture: University of Stuttgart, Matthias Ruf, University of Twente, Dr.  Kianoosh Taghizadeh]

Porous media such as concrete physically represent a spherical packing of different components – in this case cement, rock and water. The mechanical properties of such mixtures are still difficult to calculate due to their discretized nature. A team led by Prof. Holger Steeb (University of Stuttgart) and Prof. Stefan Luding (University of Twente, The Netherlands) has now been able to investigate an unexpected property of mixtures of granular media consisting of soft and stiff spherical particles. For this purpose, a combination of ultrasound investigations and X-ray computed tomographic imaging was employed, allowing a three-dimensional (3D) characterization and evaluation. The renowned journal PNAS reported on this. The discovery could contribute to safer future building in earthquake zones.

Please click on the below link to read the full artcile:

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2219999120