Experimental study on the 3D vibrated packing densification of binary sphere mixtures

The packing densification of binary spherical mixtures under 3D mechanical vibration was studied experimentally. The influences of vibration frequency （ω）, volume fraction of large spheres （XL）, sphere size ratio （r, diameter ratio of small to large spheres）, and container size （D） on the random binary packing density （p） were systematically analyzed. For any given set of conditions, there exist optimal ω and XL to realize the densest random binary packing; too large or small ω and XL is not helpful for densification. The influences of both r and D on p are monotonic; either reducing r or increasing D leads to a high value of p. With all other parameters held constant, the densest random packing occurs when XL is dominant, which is in good agreement with the Furnas relation. Moreover, the highest random binary packing density obtained in our work agrees well with corresponding numerical and analytical results in the literature.

Physical study on the vibrated packing densification of mono-sized cylindrical particles

Systematic physical experiments examining the packing densification of mono-sized cylindrical parti- cles subject to 3D mechanical vibration were carried out. The influence of vibration conditions such as vibration time, frequency, amplitude, vibration strength, container size, and the aspect ratio and spheric- ity of the particle on the packing density were analyzed and discussed. For each initial packing density with a certain aspect ratio, operating parameters were optimized to achieve much denser packing. The results indicate that the packing density initially increases with vibration time and then remains con- stant. The effects of vibration frequency and amplitude on the packing densification have similar trends, i.e. the packing density first increases with the vibration frequency or amplitude to a high value and then decreases; too large or small frequency or amplitude does not enhance densification. Increasing the container size can reduce container wall effects and help achieve a high packing density. Varying the particle aspect ratio and sphericity can lead to different dense random packing structures. Overall, based on results of the examined systems, the highest random packing density obtained in an infinite sized container can reach 0.73, which agrees well with corresponding numerical and analytical results in the literature.

Experiments on densifying packing of equal spheres by two-dimensional vibration

Densification of mono-sized sphere packings using two-dimensional （2D） vibration was experimentally studied. The effects of vibration mode, amplitude and frequency, feeding method, and container size on packing density were systematically analyzed. Useful results were obtained.