A 3D-printed physical model of a 2D granular packing for experimental validation of multifluid LBM Simulations

Publication Title
A 3D-printed physical model of a 2D granular packing for experimental validation of multifluid LBM Simulations

Abstract

A miniature physical model of a two-dimensional granular packing was 3D-printed to experimentally investigate pore emptying during drainage and to support the validation of multifluid numerical simulations using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). The printed geometry directly replicates the grain configuration employed in the simulations, enabling a direct comparison between simulated and observed drainage behavior. The device is 40 by 24 millimeters. The grains are represented by disks attached to a back plate, and the device allows the insertion of a transparent plate in front of it, so that its drainage is visible and can be recorded. Printing lasted around 10 minutes. Water mixed with blue food dye was employed, and drainage was caused by gravity and by suction provided by a paper towel placed under the model. The top of the model was in contact with ambient atmospheric pressure. The observed pore emptying sequence and fluid distribution show good qualitative agreement with numerical predictions. Limitations of the physical model are primarily associated with 3D printer resolution and sample size. The results demonstrate that rapid 3D-printed physical models provide an effective and low-cost platform for validating pore-scale multiphase flow simulations in granular media.

Authors
Clara Magalhaes Toffoli; Reihaneh Hosseini; Jurgen Grabe

Published In

11th International Conference on Physical Modelling in Geotechnics (ICPMG2026)

Theme

Special Session 5: Combination of numerical and physical modelling