Up-Scaling of Double Porosity Fractured Media Using Continuous-Time Random Walks Methods

We present a new application of continuous time random walks (CTRW) methods to model fluid flows in fractured rocks. The proposed method allows large scale equivalent permeability tensors and matrix/fractures exchange function to be computed from high resolution maps of fractured porous media. Knowing these parameters allows us to carry out large scale simulations of flows governed by the dual porosity equations of Warren and Root. A direct connection between the exchange function and the time correlation function of the presence in the fractures of a particle undergoing a suitable Brownian motion over the whole medium is derived. This connection allows us to develop an efficient numerical method to compute the transient exchange term within the complete range of time scales of interest. It also gives an alternative probabilistic interpretation of the Warren and Root model. For the sake of simplicity, in the present paper, the method will only be developed to Cartesian structured grids, although it can be adapted for unstructured grids highly suited to describing complex fracture networks.     

Changes in Porosity and Amounts of Adsorbed Water in Sol-Gel Derived Porous Silica Films with Heat Treatment

Porous silica films were obtained by a heat treatment of poly(ethyleneglycol)-containing gels for micro-patterning. Changes in porosity and the amount of adsorbed water with the heat treatment temperature in the silica films were evaluated from the refractive index of the films. The apparent refractive index of the silica films in an ambient atmosphere was much higher than the intrinsic refractive index of the film due to the large amount of adsorbed water in the films. The amount of adsorbed water in the films decreased with an increase in the heat treatment temperature and became almost zero after a heat treatment at 850°C. The decrease in the amount of adsorbed water in the films was caused by the decrease in silanol groups, which acted as the sites for water adsorption in the films. The drastic decreases in thickness and in porosity of the films at temperatures from 850 to 950°C occurred after the disappearance of silanol groups in the films. The densification of the films due to collapse of the pores at high temperatures should have resulted from the viscous flow of silica network.     

Porosity of porous Al alloys

Two porosity models of porous Al alloys with different pore types (ball and polygon shape) were established. The experimental results coincide well with theoretical computations. The porosity of Al alloys (Prc) consists of three parts, porosity caused by preform particles (Prp), additional porosity (Pra), and porosity caused by solidification shrinkage (Prs). Prp is the main part of Prc while Pra is the key for fabricating porous Al alloys successfully in spite of its little contribution to Prc.     

Effective stress laws for multi-porosity media

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Water Absorption into Construction Materials: Comparison of Neutron Radiography Data with Network Absorption Models

Two different porous building materials have been previously measured and analysed (El-Abd and Milczarek, 2004, IEEE Trans. Nuclear Sci.; El-Abd et al., 2004, J. Phys. D) using neutron radiography to measure the water front position over time. The results from this experimental approach show a similar behaviour to the predictions from idealised model structures, in that there is a cross over point where the fastest rate of absorption at first favours the finer structure material and at later times favours the coarser pore structure material. The computer model, Pore-Cor** is used to generate the idealised structures and the absorption of fluid into porous structures follows a Bosanquet wetting algorithm for fluids undergoing both inertial and viscous dynamical flow (Ridgway and Gane, 2002, Colloids Surfaces A: Physicochem. Eng. Aspects 206, 217–239.). The model structures comprise cubic pores connected by cylindrical throats on a three-dimensional 10× 10× 10 position matrix simulating the void structure of porous media by fitting as closely as possible the modelled mercury intrusion curve to that of the experimentally determined mercury intrusion curve of the actual sample. They show the transition that occurs in the absorption behaviour from the linear t-dependent short timescale inertial regime to the familiar √t Lucas-Washburn viscous regime. The simulated absorption algorithm applied to these model structures also shows a fluid position behaviour that replicates qualitatively, given the limitation of representative sample volume, the cross over seen experimentally. Furthermore, the existence of a preferred wetting path is demonstrated in the experimental as well as the model wetting front behaviour. In the case of the structure containing the broader range of pore sizes, the wetting front is considered to proceed by a network of optimal size combinations (inertial wetting versus viscous drag) and connectivity, leaving some pores behind the wetting front unfilled or only partially filled. ** Pore-Cor is a software program of the Environmental and Fluids Modelling Group, University of Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA, U.K.     

Nanofoam porosity by infrared spectroscopy

Infrared spectroscopy has been used to determine the porosity of polymer nanofoams produced from block copolymers of an aromatic polyimide with either poly(propylene oxide) or poly(α-methyl styrene). It is shown that, with an independent measurement of the film thickness, both the absorption bands and the interference fringes can yield an accurate measure of the void content. The results obtained are in quantitative agreement with density gradient methods. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

ULTRASONIC INFLUENCE OF POROSITY LEVEL ON CFRP COMPOSITE LAMINATES USING RAYLEIGH PROBE WAVES

It was found that a pitch-catch signal was more sensitive than normal incidence backwall echo of longitudinal wave to subtle flaw conditions in the composites （damages, fiber orientation, low level porosity, ply waviness, and cracks）. Both the strength and stiffness depend on the fiber orientation and porosity volume in the composites. The porosity content of a composite structure is critical to the strength and performance of the structure in general. The depth of the sampling volume where the pitch-catch signal came from was relatively shallow with the head- to-head miniature Rayleigh probes, but the depth can be increased by increasing the separation distance of the transmitting and receiving probes. Also, a method was utilized to determine the porosity content of a composite lay-up by processing micrograph images of the laminate. A free software package was utilized to process micrograph images of the test sample. The results from the image processing method were compared with existing data. Beam profile was characterized in unidirectional CFRP（carbon fiber reinforced plastics） using pitch-catch Rayleigh probes and the one-sided pitch-catch technique was utilized to produce C-scan images with the aid of the automatic scanner.     

Stability of Plates Made of a Granular Composite with Damageable Components

The stability problem is solved for a plate made of a granular composite material with microdamageable components. Microdamages are simulated by randomly dispersed pores filled with a damaged material. The problem is formulated using the concept of continuous load