An invariant distribution in static granular media

We have discovered an invariant distribution for local packing configurations in static granular media. This distribution holds in experiments for packing fractions covering most of the range from random loose packed to random close packed, for bead packs prepared both in air and in water. Assuming...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Europhysics letters 2007-07, Vol.79 (2), p.24003-p1-24003-p5
Main Authors: Aste, T, Di Matteo, T, Saadatfar, M, Senden, T. J, Schröter, Matthias, Swinney, Harry L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
45.70.-n
45.70.Cc
81.05.Rm
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Summary:We have discovered an invariant distribution for local packing configurations in static granular media. This distribution holds in experiments for packing fractions covering most of the range from random loose packed to random close packed, for bead packs prepared both in air and in water. Assuming only that there exist elementary cells in which the system volume is subdivided, we derive from statistical mechanics a distribution that is in accord with the observations. This universal distribution function for granular media is analogous to the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution for molecular gasses.
ISSN:0295-5075
1286-4854
DOI:10.1209/0295-5075/79/24003