Local contact numbers in two-dimensional packings of frictional disks

Abstract

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 μ. We find that for all μ, the fractions x_i exhibit power-law 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 μ, and introduce a simple model that captures most of this variation. We also probe the correlations between the contact numbers of neighboring particles.