Coordination Number of Grains

This chapter reviews the combinatorial geometry of granular packingsGranular packings in 2- and 3-D, and the average value of theCoordination number coordination number, \(\langle Z\rangle \) , for different cases. The mechanical stability of random packsMechanical stability of random packs requires the satisfaction of a set of linear equations, and the consistency of these equations determines the possible values of \(\langle Z\rangle \) . The coordination number is also determined in the presence of frictionFriction and adhesive forcesAdhesive forces. Recent attempts to find an Equation of StateEquation of state (EOS) between packing fraction and mean coordination number are also discussed.