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Structural Transformation between a Nematic Loose Packing and a Randomly Stacked Close Packing of Granular Disks
Yunhao Ding1, Jing Yang1, Chenyang Wang1
1Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance, School of Physics and Electronic Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China.
Abstract:
Packing structures of granular disks are reconstructed using magnetic resonance imaging techniques. As packing fraction increases, the packing structure transforms from a nematic loose packing to a dense packing with randomly oriented stacks. According to our model based on Edwards' volume ensemble, stack structures are statistically favored when the effective temperature decreases, which has a lower structural anisotropy than single disks, and brings down the global orientational order consequently. This mechanism identified in athermal granular materials can help us understand the nonergodic characteristics of disklike particle assemblies such as discotic mesogens and clays.
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