Minkowski operators (dilation and erosion of sets in vector spaces) have been extensively used in computer graphics, image processing to analyze the structure of materials, and more recently in molecular dynamics. Here, we apply those mathematical concepts to extend the discrete element method to simulate granular materials with complex-shaped particles. The Voronoi-Minkowski diagrams are intro...

The paper presents the results of an experimental and numerical analysis aimed to clarify some aspects regarding the impact of a granular flow on structures. The experimental set-up comprises a flume equipped with a system of differently sized model obstacles, which are placed along the run-out trajectory to measure the impact force. The soil used for the small-scale model is a mono-granular me...

Herbicide atrazine is a broad spectrum herbicide, used worldwide to protect the crops from weeds, but overuse of atrazine have caused the huge environmental problems from few decades. So it is very essential to study and develop the lab based analytical methods, which are important for the detection of atrazine in environment as well as in biological media. In this study we have collected the s...

This paper presents a novel method to estimate active layer thickness (ALT) over permafrost based on InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) observation and the heat transfer model of soils. The time lags between the periodic feature of InSAR-observed surface deformation over permafrost and the meteorologically recorded temperatures are assumed to be the time intervals that the tempera...

The paper presents typical phenomena which can occur due to cyclic loading in granular soil. Numerical analysis with different material laws shows the challenges to simulate the ground behaviour realistically. Results of numerical analysis by means of the Finite-Element-Method are presented and the limitation of material laws discussed.

Root system architecture (RSA) impacts plant fitness and crop yield by facilitating efficient nutrient and water uptake from the soil. A better understanding of the effects of soil on RSA could improve crop productivity by matching roots to their soil environment. We used x-ray computed tomography to perform a detailed three-dimensional quantification of changes in rice (Oryza sativa) RSA in re...