Image processing for the non destructive characterization of porous media. Application to limestones and trabecular bones

Ahmad Almhdie (1, 2) , Olivier Rozenbaum (2) , Eric Lespessailles (3) , Rachid Jennane (1)

1 PRISME - Laboratoire Pluridisciplinaire de Recherche en Ingénierie des Systèmes, Mécanique et Energétique
2 ISTO - Institut des Sciences de la Terre d'Orléans - UMR7327
3 I3MTO - Imagerie Multimodale Multiéchelle et Modélisation du Tissu Osseux et articulaire

Different image processing techniques have recently been investigated for the characterization of complex porous media, such as bones, stones and soils. Among these techniques, 3D thinning algorithms are generally used to extract a one-voxel-thick skeleton from 3D porous objects while preserving the topological information. Models based on simplified skeletons have been shown to be efficient in retrieving morphological information from large scale disordered objects not only at a global level but also at a local level. In this paper, we present a series of 3D skeleton-based image processing techniques for evaluating the micro-architecture of large scale disordered porous media. The proposed skeleton method combines curve and surface thinning methods with the help of an enhanced shape classification algorithm. Results on two different porous objects demonstrate the ability of the proposed method to provide significant topological and morphological information.

Keywords: Image processing; Segmentation; Skeleton; Classification; Topological and morphological information; Porous media

Domains: Sciences of the Universe [physics]; Continental interfaces, environment; Environmental Sciences; Global Changes

Ahmad Almhdie, Olivier Rozenbaum, Eric Lespessailles, Rachid Jennane. Image processing for the non destructive characterization of porous media. Application to limestones and trabecular bones. Mathematics and Computers in Simulation, 2014, 99, pp.82-94. ⟨10.1016/j.matcom.2013.07.003⟩. ⟨insu-00856868⟩