Can intergranular force transmission be identified in sand?

This work tackles the challenge of assessment of force distributions in granular media. Spatially resolved neutron and x-ray diffraction are used to measure internal strains of sand grains under load. These approaches are sensitive to the crystallographic strains of the sand grains (quartz crystals) such that each grain acts as a local 3D strain gauge and so, for elastic deformations, a force gauge. First results are presented from recent experiments that provide tantalising indications of the potential of these techniques in the investigation of the mechanics of granular media.