A NOVEL METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF THE LATERAL DIMENSIONS OF 2D RECTANGULAR FLAKES
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Date
2022
Authors
Papathanasiou, Thanasis D.
Tsiantis, Andreas
Wang, Yanwei
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Materials
Abstract
We present a novel method for the determination of the lateral dimensions of thin rectangular
flakes, as they exist randomly dispersed in flake composites. Knowledge of flake size and shape is
essential for the correct prediction of the mechanical, electrical, thermal and barrier properties of flake
composites. The required information is the distribution function of lengths of the lines representing
the intersection of flakes with a sectioning plane, as seen in cross-sections of composite samples
used in optical or electron microscopy or obtained using tomographic imaging techniques. The key
observation is that the major peak of the distribution function coincides with the short dimension
S of the flake while a secondary peak corresponds to its long dimension W. These observations
are explained using Monte-Carlo simulations, as well as deterministic, geometry-based modeling
and probability analysis. Since the strength of the secondary peak diminishes with increasing flake
aspect ratio r = W/S, we develop two additional methods for the determination of W. The first
finds W from the maximum intersection length; this procedure is justified by computing the relevant
probability fields through Monte-Carlo simulations. The second method finds r from the average
intersection length and is valid in the range 1 < r < 15. The performance of these techniques is
tested and found to be very good using blind experiments in numerically sectioned specimens.
Description
Keywords
Type of access: Open Access, flake composites, composites characterization, microstructure, flake alignment, flake dimensions
Citation
Papathanasiou, T. D., Tsiantis, A., & Wang, Y. (2022a). A Novel Method for the Determination of the Lateral Dimensions of 2D Rectangular Flakes. Materials, 15(4), 1560. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15041560