Topological characterization of porous solids

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Conventional evaluation of 3D objects and structures, from an engineering standpoint, is concerned with their**size, shape, orientation and distribution of material within a structure (biological or human-made). In contrast,**topological analysis of a 3D object examines its principal structural blueprint that does not change upon scaling**or any continuous deformation (stretching and bending, but not tearing or merging, of elements). For example,**a bucket is different from a pipe topologically, even if they are made of the same material and have the same**dimensions, and they cannot be used interchangeably. Since topological attributes may have fundamental**influences on the mechanical behavior and properties of a 3D object, both morphology and topology must be**considered in the same analytical context. Some of the research fields that will certainly benefit from**topological analysis are civil engineering, additive manufacturing and skeletal biology. Yet, existing**topological characterization routines are sparse. Topological analysis of porous solids requires finding**appropriate algorithms and developing a protocol to generate an added-value, innovative complementary**routine to be integrated into 3D evaluation of objects and structures. This project will establish a new standard**for 3D object evaluation. Dragonfly (by Object Research Systems, ORS, Montreal) is a 3D image processing**platform capable of large 3D datasets handling and macro-based analysis (including machine/deep learning) in**one user-friendly workflow. The project will be assigned to an existing trainee at McGill selected for their**interest in mathematical principles of biology and coding expertise, who will write the topological analysis**code script, create a guided-user interface (GUI) and optimize the workflow using different 3D objects.**Incorporation of the new analytical routine into Dragonfly will make it more streamlined and effective in basic**research, in industry, and in biomedical imaging, thus increasing the number of users and maximizing**revenues.