The Packing Fraction of Two-Dimensional Particles as a Function of Shape and Size Distribution

The aim of this work was to calculate the packing fraction of two-dimensional particles as a function of shape of particles by using a conventional simulation technique known as discrete element method (DEM). The simulation results are presented as a set of photographs, which depicted the arrangement or packing of particles of different shapes. For the purpose of this study two different particle models were used: 1) lens-shaped particle model; and 2) circle-shaped particle model. The main result of this study was such that the packing fraction of lens-shaped particles is higher than that of circle-shaped particles, indicating that the stress between lens-shaped particles is more uniformly distributed than the stress between circle-shaped particles. It was also found that the packing fraction of particles of similar size is lower than that of particles of various shapes. In other words, the packing fraction strongly depends on the size distribution of particles.