Influence of the feeding rate on the packing properties of faceted particles

Abstract

The effect of the filling mechanism on the packing of faceted particles with different aspect ratios has been examined. We have experimentally measured the particle angular distribution and the packing fraction of ensembles of faceted particles deposited in a bidimensional box. The granular system has been numerically simulated using a two-dimensional model of faceted particles. We found that increasing the feeding rate results in an enhancement of the disorder in the final deposit and, consequently, in a reduction of the number of particles oriented in their most stable configuration. In this regime, the final packing fraction monotonically decreases as the feeding rate increases. The correlations between the final packing morphology and the stress transmission were examined by describing the micromechanical properties of the deposits. For the case of elongated particles, increasing the feeding rate leads to an enhancement of the stress transmission towards the sides of the box. On the contrary, for the case of square particles, increasing the feeding rate promotes vertical transmission of the stress.