Comparisons of 2D imaging techniques for internal macropore characterization

Traditional medical X-ray imaging, CT scanning, and cross-specimen acoustic tomography (CSAT) were used to visualize the internal structure of macroporous plaster specimens and calculate the total volume of the macropores. The traditional medical imaging and CT scanning produced highly detailed images that could be used to assess the size and shape of the macropores. The CSAT imaging could be used to approximately locate macropores but shapes could not be distinguished. Only CT scanning and CSAT imaging could be used to determine the volume of the macropores. A rigorous procedure which provided very detailed measurements was used to calculate the macropore volume using the CT scans. The volume of the macropores using CSAT imaging depended upon a compression wave velocity cut-off velocity which varied from specimen to specimen. Future plans are already in-place to further develop the CSAT imaging technique to hopefully provide better macoopre shape identification and macropore volume calculation abilities.