Why shape matters in granular compaction

TL;DR

This paper introduces a stochastic one-dimensional model to study how grain shape influences the static packing and dynamic behavior of granular materials under low vibrational energy.

Contribution

It highlights the crucial role of grain shape regularity and irregularity in determining packing states and dynamic processes in granular compaction models.

Findings

Shape regularity affects close-packing configurations.

Irregular shapes influence the dynamics at low temperatures.

Shape properties are central to granular statics and kinetics.

Abstract

We present a stochastic model of dynamically interacting grains in one dimension, in the presence of a low vibrational intensity, to investigate the effect of shape on the statics and dynamics of the compaction process. Regularity and irregularity in grain shapes are shown to be centrally important in determining the statics of close-packing states, as well as the nature of zero- and low-temperature dynamics in this columnar model.