Can we study particle breakage in tomography images Piece-by-Piece?

¹ School of Civil Engineering, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
² Department of Materials Physics, Research School of Physics, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia

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Published online: 1 December 2025

Abstract

The impact of particle breakage on the particle size distribution (PSD) of granular materials is a key element in many engineering applications. High-resolution micro-computed tomography has demonstrated that particle breakage can be observed under various conditions; however, many available methods lack continuous tracking. In this work, a novel and consistent image analysis pipeline, named Piece-by-Piece, is introduced to track fragmented particles from the onset of breakage through later stages. The goal is to provide a reliable tool, which is independent of the experiment analysed. Two different study cases are examined: a triaxial test on Ottawa sand particles and a one-dimensional compression test on zeolite granules. In the Ottawa sand test, breakage is successfully tracked throughout the entire experiment with a negligible loss of volume. In contrast, for the Zeolite granules the analysis is terminated before the conclusion of the test, although this does not suggest any deficiency in the tracking algorithm, but rather limitations in image resolution. These results show that continuous particle tracking is possible and serve as a showcase for the enhanced capabilities of Piece-by-Piece, which could offer valuable insights into micro-scale breakage mechanics.