Extreme Particle Shape Effect for Packs of Platonic Solids

For centuries, great minds like Kepler, Maxwell and Einstein have investigated the statistical characterization of many-body systems, and implications of small-scale structures on the macroscopic transport and mechanical properties. In this work, an accurate statistical description of heterogeneous particulate materials is computed using novel adaptive interpolation/integration scheme. This statistical information is then utilized within mathematical theories for predicting the overall thermo-mechanical behavior. For the first time, we predict properties of granular Platonic solids packs and discover a significant shape effect in their thermal-conductivity. Based on this work, a large class of materials with arbitrary inclusions can now be easily studied.

The paper is featured as the cover article for the May 2015 issue in Proceedings of the Royal Society A