Photoelastic force measurements in granular materials

Photoelastic techniques are used to make both qualitative and quantitative measurements of the forces within idealized granular materials. The method is based on placing a birefringent granular material between a pair of polarizing filters, so that each region of the material rotates the polarizatio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inarXiv.org
Main Authors Daniels, Karen E, Kollmer, Jonathan E, Puckett, James G
Format Paper Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Ithaca Cornell University Library, arXiv.org 12.12.2016
Subjects
Contact force
Force measurement
Granular materials
Physics - Soft Condensed Matter
Polarization
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Summary:Photoelastic techniques are used to make both qualitative and quantitative measurements of the forces within idealized granular materials. The method is based on placing a birefringent granular material between a pair of polarizing filters, so that each region of the material rotates the polarization of light according to the amount of local of stress. In this review paper, we summarize past work using the technique, describe the optics underlying the technique, and illustrate how it can be used to quantitatively determine the vector contact forces between particles in a 2D granular system. We provide a description of software resources available to perform this task, as well as key techniques and resources for building an experimental apparatus.
ISSN:2331-8422
DOI:10.48550/arxiv.1612.03525