Quantification of the relationship between porosity and interparticle forces for the packing of wet uniform spheres

This paper presents an attempt to quantify the relationship between porosity and interparticle forces. In particular, it concerns the packing of wet mono-sized spheres where capillary force is dominant. The interrelationships between capillary force, porosity, and liquid content are first analyzed based on well-established theories and experimental observations. The resultant data are then used to correlate porosity with the force ratio defined as the average capillary force to the gravity of a particle. Application of this correlation is finally demonstrated by examples of porosity prediction. (C) 2000 Academic Press.