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Packing grains by thermally cycling

K. Chen·J. Cole·C. Conger·J. Draskovic·M. Lohr·K. Klein·T. Scheidemantel·P. Schiffer
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Abstract

One of the oldest and most intriguing problems in the handling of materials is how a collection of solid grains packs together. While granular packing is normally determined by how grains are poured or shaken, we find that a systematic and controllable increase in packing is induced by simply raising and lowering the temperature, e.g., without the input of mechanical energy. The results demonstrate that thermal processing provides a largely unexplored mechanism of grain dynamics, as well as an important practical consideration in the handling and storage of granular materials.

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K. Chen, J. Cole, C. Conger, J. Draskovic, M. Lohr, K. Klein, T. Scheidemantel, P. Schiffer. 2006-08-04. Packing grains by thermally cycling. https://doi.org/10.1038/442257a

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