Local contact numbers in two dimensional packings of frictional disks


Abstract in English

We analyze the local structure of two dimensional packings of frictional disks numerically. We focus on the fractions x_i of particles that are in contact with i neighbors, and systematically vary the confining pressure p and friction coefficient mu. We find that for all mu, the fractions x_i exhibit powerlaw scaling with p, which allows us to obtain an accurate estimate for x_i at zero pressure. We uncover how these zero pressure fractions x_i vary with mu, and introduce a simple model that captures most of this variation. We also probe the correlations between the contact numbers of neighboring particles.

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