Related papers: Intrinsic structural features in jammed disordered…
We numerically study structural properties of mechanically stable packings of hard spheres (HS), in a wide range of packing fractions $0.53 \le \phi \le 0.72$. Detailed structural information is obtained from the analysis of orientational…
The formation of quasi-spherical cages from protein building blocks is a remarkable self-assembly process in many natural systems, where a small number of elementary building blocks are assembled to build a highly symmetric icosahedral…
We study jammed configurations of hard spheres as a function of compression speed using an event-driven molecular dynamics algorithm. We find that during the compression, the pressure follows closely the metastable liquid branch until the…
Sequentially-built random sphere-packings have been numerically studied in the packing fraction interval $0.329 < \gamma < 0.586$. For that purpose fast running geometrical algorithms have been designed in order to build about 300…
Elucidating the interplay of stress and geometry is a fundamental scientific question arising in multiple fields. In this work, we investigate the geometric frustration of crystalline caps confined on the sphere in both elastic and plastic…
Maximally random jammed (MRJ) particle packings can be viewed as prototypical glasses in that they are maximally disordered while simultaneously being mechanically rigid. The prediction of the MRJ packing density phi, among other packing…
Amorphous packings of spheres have been intensely investigated in order to understand the mechanical and flow behaviour of dense granular matter, and to explore universal aspects of the transition from fluid to structurally arrested or…
In this thesis I present most of the results obtained during my PhD, where I worked on different subjects regarding jamming in systems of frictionless spheres. In particular, I focused on microscopic properties of jammed packings, such as…
Monodisperse circular disks have been collectively packed in confined geometries using a Monte Carlo method where the compaction is propelled by two- dimensional stochastic agitation. We have found that confinement (i.e., finite-size plus…
Jammed packings' mechanical properties depend sensitively on their detailed local structure. Here we provide a complete characterization of the pair correlation close to contact and of the force distribution of jammed frictionless spheres.…
Colloidal and other granular media experience a transition to rigidity known as jamming if the fill fraction is increased beyond a critical value. The resulting jammed structures are locally disordered, bear applied loads inhomogenously,…
The channel size distribution in hard sphere systems, based on the local neighbor correlation of four particle positions, is investigated for all volume fractions up to jamming. For each particle, all three particle combinations of…
We study more than $10^4$ random aggregates of $10^6$ monodisperse sticky hard spheres each, generated by various static algorithms. Their packing fraction varies from 0.370 up to 0.593. These aggregates are shown to be based on two types…
We present a generalization of the granocentric model proposed in [Clusel et al., Nature, 2009, 460, 611615] that is capable of describing the local fluctuations inside not only polydisperse but also monodisperse packings of spheres. This…
The structural properties of static, jammed packings of monodisperse spheres in the vicinity of the jamming transition are investigated using large-scale computer simulations. At small wavenumber $k$, we argue that the anomalous behavior in…
All hard, convex shapes are conjectured by Ulam to pack more densely than spheres, which have a maximum packing fraction of {\phi} = {\pi}/\sqrt18 ~ 0.7405. For many shapes, simple lattice packings easily surpass this packing fraction. For…
We present a series of experiments investigating the local microstructure of cylindrical piles composed of highly concave particles. By systematically varying particle geometry -- from spheres to strongly non-convex polypods -- as well as…
The nature of randomness in disordered packings of frictional and frictionless spheres is investigated using theory and simulations of identical spherical grains. The entropy of the packings is defined through the force and volume ensemble…
The structure of random sphere packings in mechanical equilibrium in prescribed stress states, as studied by molecular dynamics simulations, strongly depends on the assembling procedure. Frictionless packings in the limit of low pressure…
Three-dimensional discrete numerical simulation is used to investigate the properties of close-packed frictionless granular assemblies as a function of particle polydispersity and shape. Unlike some experimental results, simulations show…