THE REPRESENTATION OF RANDOM PACKINGS OF SPHERES FOR SINTERING SIMULATIONS

In this work, we have developed an algorithm which generates a random packing of irregular sized spheres using the ballistic deposition meth od. Our aim is to provide useful tools to represent a three-dimensiona l array of spheres of different sizes that can be used to study the si ntering of fine spherical particles. Apart from the well known devices that have been introduced such as relative density, coordination numb er and radial distribution function, we show how the Voronoi polyhedra can give useful information that can be followed during a sintering s imulation. We extend the definition of Voronoi polyhedra such that it will be useful for describing an array of particles of different sizes during sintering.