X-Ray Tomography Applied to the Characterization of Highly Porous Materials

This article reviews studies in which X-ray tomography has been used to characterize the cellular microstructure or the deformation mechanisms of highly porous materials. The technique is suitable for imaging these materials with much detail. Such images can also be used to quantify the microstructure (wall thickness and cell size distribution and tortuosity of the porous network). Finally, the methods available to produce finite element meshes from the three-dimensional images are presented and discussed in light of one example.