Experimental demonstration of nonuniform frequency distributions of granular packings.
We developed an experimental method to generate mechanically stable (MS) packings of frictionless disks and performed coordinated experiments and simulations to characterize MS packings in small systems. For a given system geometry, MS packings occur as discrete, well-separated points in configuration space with probabilities that vary by many orders of magnitude and are robust with respect to the packing preparation. Over a continuous range of system geometries, MS packings occur as distinct geometrical families and only a small fraction of families are sampled via quasistatic dynamics. These results suggest that the most frequent MS packings may dominate the structural and mechanical properties of dense granular media.
Gao
Guo-Jie
GJ
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8286, USA.
Blawzdziewicz
Jerzy
J
O'Hern
Corey S
CS
Shattuck
Mark
M
D003102:Colloids / Q000737:chemistry*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D008956:Models, Chemical; D015233:Models, Statistical; D033081:Shear Strength; D013314:Stress, Mechanical
D003102:Colloids