Probing regolith-covered surfaces in low gravity

United States

The surfaces of many planetary bodies, including asteroids, moons, and planets, are composed of rubble-like grains held together by varying levels of gravitational attraction and cohesive forces. Future instrumentation for operation on, and interacting with, such surfaces will require efficient and effective design principles and methods of testing. Here we present results from the EMPANADA experiment (Ejecta-Minimizing Protocols for Applications Needing Anchoring or Digging on Asteroids) which flew on several reduced gravity parabolic flights. EMPANADA studies the effects of the insertion of a flexible probe into a granular medium as a function of ambient gravity. This is done for an idealized 2D system as well as a more realistic 3D sample. To quantify the dynamics inside the 2D granular material we employ photoelasticity to identify the grain-scale forces throughout the system, while in 3D experiments we use simulated regolith. Experiments were conducted at three different levels of gravity: martian, lunar, and microgravity. In this work, we demonstrate that the photoelastic technique provides results that complement traditional load cell measurements in the 2D sample, and show that the idealized system exhibits similar behaviour to the more realistic 3D sample. We note that the presence of discrete, stick-slip failure events depends on the gravitational acceleration.

Powders &amp; Grains 2021

[EPJ Web of Conferences, Volume 249 (2021)](https://www.epj-conferences.org/articles/epjconf/abs/2021/03/contents/contents.html)

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Powders & Grains 2021

Powders & Grains 2021 will be held in Buenos Aires (Argentina, VIRTUAL) July 5, 13, 21, 29 and Aug 6, 2021. The aim of the conference is to give an up-to-date picture of the broad research field of granular media, powders and grains. Contributions from experts around the world will focus on research topics that cover a wide range of open problems in the field.

technical paper

This paper experimentally analyzes the collapse of conical granular columns made out of non-cohesive granular materials. Dimensionless run-out lengths were found, as a function of the aspect ratio a, similar to those occurring in the collapse of cylindrical columns, although in the case of conical columns of high aspect ration, at the end of the collapse, a layer of grains that rotates around the cone axis appears and it affects the final profiles of the mounds.

Collapse of conical granular columns

Acoustic emission (AE) or vibration signal has been applied in detecting operations of grinding mills in many industries. This paper proposes an approach to generate AE signals based on the particle-wall impacts. Through a combination of multi-mode vibrations and the calibration of the key parameters, the model was able to reproduce experimental data. The AE model was then implemented into a discrete element method (DEM) modelling of particle flow in a rotating mill. The AE signals of the mill under different filling levels and rotation speeds were generated and analysed, mainly focusing on the frequency and magnitude of each vibration mode. The link between the AE signals and the particle-wall impact energy was explored

Acoustic signals of rotating drums generated based on DEM simulations

The soil water retention curve (SWRC) is the most commonly used relationship in the study of
unsaturated soil. In this paper, the eect of porosity on the SWRC is investigated by numerically modeling
unsaturated soil using the Shan-Chen multiphase Lattice Boltzmann Method. The shape of simulated SWRCs
are compared against that predicted by the van Genuchten model, demonstrating a good fit except at low degrees
of saturation. The simulated SWRCs show an increase in the air-entry value as porosity decreases.

Investigating the effect of porosity on the soil water retention curve using the multiphase Lattice Boltzmann Method

We use three-dimensional particle dynamics simulations to investigate the microstructure evolution of granular material subjected to isochoric cyclic shearing, driving the system to a liquefaction state. The cyclically sheared assembly presents a realistic macroscopic response as observed in physical experiments. By analyzing the contact network evolution in the post-liquefaction period, we show that the onset of liquefaction state is characterized by a sudden drop of coordination number and a fragile particle connectivity network. The simulation suggests a critical coordination number for exiting the liquefaction state. Evolution of fabric anisotropy combined with coordination number implies the isotropic and anisotropic gain or loss of contacts at certain durations of a post-liquefaction loading cycle.

Geometrical network of granular materials under isochoric cyclic shearing

3D printing is emerging as one of the most promising methods to manufacture Pharmaceutical dosage forms as it offers multiple advantages such as personalization of dosage forms, polypill, fabrication of complex dosage forms etc. 3D printing came into existence in 1980s but its use was extended recently to pharmaceutical industry along with the approval of first 3D printed tablet Spritam by FDA in 2015. Spritam was manufactured by Aprecia pharmaceuticals using binder jetting technology. Binder jet 3D printing involves a hopper for powder discharge and printheads for ink jetting. The properties of tablets are highly dependent upon the discharge quality of powder mixture from the hopper and jetting of the ink/binder solution from the printhead nozzle. In this study, numerical models were developed using Discrete element method (DEM) to gain better understanding of the binder jet 3D printing process. The DEM modeling of hopper discharge was performed using in-house DEM code to study the effect of raw material attributes such as powder bed packing density (i.e. particle size, particle density etc.) on the printing process, especially during powder bed preparation. This DEM model was further validated experimentally, and the model demonstrated good agreement with experimental results.

DEM based investigation of powder packing in 3D printing of pharmaceutical tablets

We are numerically and experimentally studying the response of a 3d granular system to cyclic perturbations to investigate reversibility and memory effects. We are especially interested in translations and rotations of particles are affected by the inter-particle friction coefficient. We find that at low friction, the rotations are homogeneously distributed in the system; the motion of particles is mostly reversible and the system exhibit a very strong memory response. In contrast, at high friction, the rotations are located in a narrow shear band, and are mostly irreversible which leads to a much less pronounced memory response of the system. This can be explained by the need for the system to overcome a large sliding force limit which is only possible for a small proportion of particles, leading to a non-reversible motion.

Effects of interparticle friction on the response of 3D cyclically compressed granular material

This paper presents a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model on the effect of capillary pressure on the retention behaviour of a granular material. The model proposes an unprecedented CFD insight into the onset of liquid menisci at the inter-particles contact under varying hydraulic conditions. The present work models the material grains as smooth spherical particles that define a porous network filled by two interstitial fluids: air and silicon oil. The numerical model has been subsequently validated against experimental measurements of the degree of saturation at different capillary pressures taken by Dullien et al. [F.A. Dullien, C. Zarcone, I.F. MacDonald, A. Collins, R.D. Bochard. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 127, 2 (1989)] in a system of smooth glass beads flooded with silicon oil. Results from the numerical simulations confirm the good capability of the model to reproduce the experimental retention behaviour of the granular material. Finally, the present paper laid the basis for future CFD studies on the effect of various factors (e.g. hydraulic hysteresis, surface roughness and/or grain shape) on the capillary pressure acting at the inter-particle contact.

CFD modelling of the effect of capillary pressure on retention behaviour of water menisci at inter-particle contacts

The erosion of a cohesive soil by an impinging turbulent jet is observed, for instance, during the landing of a spacecraft or involved in the so-called jet erosion test. To provide a quantitative understanding of this situation for cohesive soils, we perform experiments using a model cohesion controlled granular material that allows us to finely tune the cohesion between particles while keeping the other properties constant. We investigate the response of this cohesive granular bed when subjected to an impinging normal turbulent jet. We characterize experimentally the effects of the cohesion on the erosion threshold and the development of the crater. We demonstrate that the results can be rationalized by introducing a cohesive Shields number that accounts for the inter-particles cohesion force. The results of our experiments highlight the crucial role of cohesion in erosion processes.

Erosion of a cohesive granular material by an impinging turbulent jet

Root growth alters soil fabric and consequently its mechanical and physical properties. Recent studies show that roots induce compaction of soil in their immediate vicinity, a region that is central for plant health. However, high-quality quantification of root influence on the soil fabric, able to inform computational models is lacking from the literature. This study quantifies the relationship between soil physical characteristics and root growth, giving special emphasis on how roots in early-stage formation influence the physical architecture of the surrounding soil structure. High-resolution X-ray micro-Computed Tomography (µCT) is used to acquire three-dimensional images of two homogeneously-packed samples. It is observed that the void ratio profile extending from the soil-root interface into the bulk soil is altered by root growth. The roots considerably modify the immediate soil physical characteristics by creating micro-cracks at the soil-root interface and by increasing the void ratio. This paper presents the mechanisms that led to the observed structure as well as some of the implications that it has in such a dynamic zone.


Imaging the root–rhizosphere interface using micro computed tomography: quantifying void ratio and root volume ratio profiles

The Standard Penetration Test (SPT) is the most widely used method for dynamic testing of soils. The test is simple and robust but difficult to control and not fully standardized. As a result, experimental results typically show large variations and poor repeatability. To mitigate that correction factors such as energy normalization and rod length have been introduced in SPT practice. This study provides an examination of the two correction factors using models based on the discrete element method (DEM).

Probing regolith-covered surfaces in low gravity

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Probing regolith-covered surfaces in low gravity

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Collapse of conical granular columns

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Erosion of a cohesive granular material by an impinging turbulent jet

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