Investigative approaches I: experimental imaging techniques

Abstract There exists a wide range of diverse experimental techniques through which granular media may be studied. If one is to fully understand and learn from the significant volume of literature pertaining to granular media and their segregative behaviors, it is vital that one understands also the techniques used in these studies. This chapter provides an overview of the main, most widely-used experimental techniques implemented in the study of vibrofluidized granular media, including optical techniques (particle tracking and imaging velocimetry (PTV/PIV), refractive index matched scanning (RIMS), photoelastic imaging), techniques using ionizing radiation (radiography, computed tomography (CT), radioactive particle tracking (RPT) and positron emission particle tracking (PEPT)), and magnetism-based imaging techniques (magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic particle tracking (MPT)). The chapter also discusses new, cutting-edge techniques under development around the world such as radar tracking, terahertz imaging and ‘rheography’, which may help the field take its next step toward a full understanding of granular dynamics.