Compaction Science and Technology

Extract

Particle packing and compaction are important in many aspects of materials science and technology, including the flow and storage of slurries and of granular agricultural and fertilizer products; the forming of ceramic components, powder metallurgy (P/M) parts, and pharmaceutical tablets; road and dam construction; landfill and waste-remediation-site design and development; shoreline and earthquake stabilization; predicting and controlling mud slides, rock slides, and avalanches; and mine and oil-well positioning and stability. On the less technical side but perhaps of more practical interest are how packing and compaction produce the “apparently” half-empty packages of cereal and potato chips, and how to make better sand and snow castles. There is a great need for engineers and scientists to understand and control particle packing and powder compaction.