title: Microstructural characterization of random packings of cubic particles.
abstract: Understanding the properties of random packings of solid objects is of critical importance to a wide variety of fundamental scientific and practical problems. The great majority of the previous works focused, however, on packings of spherical and sphere-like particles. We report the first detailed simulation and characterization of packings of non-overlapping cubic particles. Such packings arise in a variety of problems, ranging from biological materials, to colloids and fabrication of porous scaffolds using salt powders. In addition, packing of cubic salt crystals arise in various problems involving preservation of pavements, paintings, and historical monuments, mineral-fluid interactions, CO2 sequestration in rock, and intrusion of groundwater aquifers by saline water. Not much is known, however, about the structure and statistical descriptors of such packings. We have developed a version of the random sequential addition algorithm to generate such packings, and have computed a variety of microstructural descriptors, including the radial distribution function, two-point probability function, orientational correlation function, specific surface, and mean chord length, and have studied the effect of finite system size and porosity on such characteristics. The results indicate the existence of both spatial and orientational long-range order in the packing, which is more distinctive for higher packing densities. The maximum packing fraction is about 0.57.
authors.affiliation: Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-1211, USA.
authors.forename: Hessam
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Malmir
authors.affiliation: Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-1211, USA.
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sahimi
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran 11365-9161, Iran.
authors.forename: M Reza Rahimi
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Tabar