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Coordination Number of Grains

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Statistical Rock Physics

Part of the book series: Earth and Environmental Sciences Library ((EESL))

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This chapter reviews the combinatorial geometry of granular packings in 2- and 3-D, and the average value of the coordination number, \(\langle Z\rangle \), for different cases. The mechanical 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 friction and adhesive forces. Recent attempts to find an Equation of State (EOS) between packing fraction and mean coordination number are also discussed.

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  1. Earth Sciences, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

    Gabor Korvin

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  1. Gabor Korvin
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Korvin, G. (2024). Coordination Number of Grains. In: Statistical Rock Physics. Earth and Environmental Sciences Library. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-46700-4_6

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