Reconstruction of tomographic images of dry aqueous foams

X-ray tomography offers the possibility to examine the local changes in the structure of a three-dimensional aqueous foam as it flows, allowing a better fundamental understanding of foam rheology and the validation of models. We present an automated algorithm that reconstructs a dry aqueous foam from such images. Our algorithm uses ImageJ to extract from an image the topology of the network of Plateau borders in the foam, and then analyses this network to re-create the films and then the bubbles, and equilibrates the structure in Surface Evolver. We validate our algorithm and demonstrate its precision by applying it to simulated foam structures and analysing the topology and geometry obtained. We then apply our algorithm to a sequence of images from an experiment in which a spherical bead falls under its own weight through a polydisperse dry foam. This allows us to describe the evolution of the foam's bubble volumes with time as well as the distribution of bubble pressure and the forces exerted on a falling sphere.