Exploring Random Packing of Non-Equant Particles: Insights from Computed Tomography and Monte Carlo Simulations - Packing Properties from CT scans Dataset

Experimental data generated for paper "Exploring disordered packing of non-equant particles: Insights from computed tomography and Monte Carlo simulations"Abstract:The influence of particle shape on disordered packing structures is investigated through a combined experimental and modelling approach, focusing on non-equant particles, i.e. particles which are either elongated or flat, or both. In an experimental campaign, particles of systematically chosen shapes are fabricated via 3D printing, then packed and imaged by X-ray Computed Tomography to extract packing properties such as the porosity, particle orientations, and tortuosities of paths through the pore space. Additionally, a Monte Carlo model is employed to simulate packing structures, allowing for broader exploration of the parameter space, and investigating properties which are challenging to measure experimentally. The model’s parameters are varied to probe the range of potential packing structures for various particle shapes, and to provide explanations for experimental results. Both model and experiments reveal a non-monotonic trend for the porosity, a monotonically decreasing trend for the average particle inclination, and a monotonically increasing trend for the tortuosity with respect to elongation and flatness. Additionally, both model and experiments show increased dependence of the packing properties on the packing method (pouring or shaking), or model parameters respectively as particle aspect ratio increases. Furthermore, the model can predict experimentally measured packing porosities with deviations of 0.03 in absolute porosity units at most for new particle shapes, once its parameters are fitted to match the physical context. This research provides insights into the effect of particle shape on packing structure, with practical implications to processes involving the packing of non-equant particles, such as crystal filtration and packed beds.