Computer simulations of particle packing

Computer code has been developed to rapidly simulate the random packing of disks and spheres in two and three dimensions. Any size distribution may be packed. The code simulates varying degrees of inter particle conditions ranging from sticky to free flowing. The code will also calculate the overall packing density, density distributions, and void size distributions (in two dimensions). An important aspect of the code is that it is written in C++ and incorporates a user-friendly graphical interface for standard Macintosh and Power PC platforms. Investigations as to how well the code simulates the realistic random packing have begun. The code has been developed in consideration of the problem of filling a container (or die) with spray-dried granules of ceramic powder (represented by spheres). Although not presented here, the futuristic goal of this work is to give users the ability to predict homogeneity of filled dies prior to dry pressing. Additionally, this software has educational utility for studying relationships between particle size distributions and macrostructures.