Yixin Cao, Bandan Chakrabortty, G. C. Barker, Anita Mehta, Yujie Wang
In this Letter, we present the first experimental study of bridge structures in three-dimensional dry granular packings. Our experiments, which use X-ray tomography, are in agreement with both present and earlier simulations. When bridges are small, they are predominantly 'linear', and have an exponential size distribution. Larger, predominantly 'complex' bridges, are confirmed to follow a power-law size distribution. Simulation and experimental results for the distribution of sizes, end-to-end lengths, base extensions and orientations of bridges show good qualitative and quantitative agreement. This robustness underlines the fundamental role played by bridges as spatial heterogeneities in granular media.
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http://arxiv.org/abs/1112.3146
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