We study the effect of both adhesion and friction on the geometry of monosized packings of spheres by means of discrete element simulations. We use elastic properties that are characteristic of materials typically used for particulate processing (Young’s modulus in the range 20–200 GPa). The geometrical features, both global and local, of the packings are studied using a variety of approaches in order to investigate their ability to quantify the effect of adhesion and/or friction. We show that both adhesion and friction interaction decrease the packing fraction. The very localized ordering that adhesion triggers is particularly investigated by use of the radial distribution function, the ordering parameter $Q_6$, and four triclinic cells that allow a description of the microstructure at the local level. We show that the probability of occurrence of these triclinic cells is approximately proportional to their degree of freedom when neither adhesion nor friction plays a role. We find that the introduction of adhesive interactions increases the probability of occurrence of those cells that have the lowest degree of freedom.

• Received 24 May 2007

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.77.031307