Investigation of strain-sensitive properties of porous media through micro-CT imaging and numerical modelling

Strain-sensitive characteristics of porous media are studied through micro-CT imaging and numerical simulations. First, high-fidelity Discrete Element Method (DEM) models are constructed for practical porous media based on micro-CT images. These DEM models prioritize the overall system morphology over individual grain/particle shapes, ensuring robustness and flexibility controlled by easily adjustable algorithm parameters. Subsequently, we validate the accuracy of our proposed DEM models by comparing them with the Finite Element Method (FEM), achieving consistent agreement across all test cases. Finally, the CT-image based DEM approach is employed to investigate strain-sensitive properties of porous media, such as permeability, porosity, tortuosity, specific surface area, and fractal dimension. With a primary focus on transport and morphology properties, our approach is versatile and applicable to exploring various other properties of porous media. This study introduces a generic methodology for examining practical porous media under in-situ conditions, providing valuable insights into their response to stress and deformation.