Theory 025/Materials Processing
Compaction Is a Contact Network
The claim
Powder compaction density rises sharply at a percolation threshold in the contact network rather than smoothly with pressure.
01The mechanism
Below threshold the network is floppy and rearranges easily; above it, stress transmits through a spanning cluster and further densification requires particle fracture.
02Predictions
- P1Density should jump at a threshold pressure.
- P2Compressibility should change slope at percolation.
03Refutation
Smooth density-pressure curves would remove the threshold.