Force distributions in three-dimensional granular assemblies: Effects of packing order and interparticle friction - art. no. 041304

We present a systematic investigation of the distribution of normal forces at the boundaries of static packings of spheres. A method for the efficient construction of large hexagonal-close-packed crystals is introduced and us ed to study the effect of spatial ordering on the distribution of forces. U nder uniaxial compression we find that the form for the probability distrib ution of normal forces between particles does not depend strongly on crysta llinity or interparticle friction. In all cases the distribution decays exp onentially at large forces and shows a plateau or possibly a small peak nea r the average force but does not tend to zero at small forces.