Random close packing of disks and spheres in confined geometries

Kenneth W. Desmond and Eric R. Weeks
Phys. Rev. E 80, 051305 – Published 30 November 2009

Abstract

Studies of random close packing of spheres have advanced our knowledge about the structure of systems such as liquids, glasses, emulsions, granular media, and amorphous solids. In confined geometries, the structural properties of random-packed systems will change. To understand these changes, we study random close packing in finite-sized confined systems, in both two and three dimensions. Each packing consists of a 50-50 binary mixture with particle size ratio of 1.4. The presence of confining walls significantly lowers the overall maximum area fraction (or volume fraction in three dimensions). A simple model is presented, which quantifies the reduction in packing due to wall-induced structure. This wall-induced structure decays rapidly away from the wall, with characteristic length scales comparable to the small particle diameter.

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  • Received 3 March 2009

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.80.051305

©2009 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Kenneth W. Desmond and Eric R. Weeks

  • Department of Physics, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA

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Issue

Vol. 80, Iss. 5 — November 2009

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