Random Packings of Ellipsoidal Particles and Their Local Packing Properties

This chapter addresses the properties of random packings of ellipsoidal particles. The properties of packings, random or ordered, of ellipsoidal particles have long been studied as the natural generalization of packings of spherical particles. The random close packing density of monodisperse ellipsoid packings varies with particle aspect ratio and can reach significantly denser values than the random close packed density of 64% in packings of spheres. Ellipsoid packings have been studied extensively experimentally, including through tomographic analysis, and computationally, and the random close packed densities are theoretically understood by a meanfield analysis. The local packing properties of ellipsoidal packings, which can be studied using the generalized set Voronoi diagram, reveal a universality of the volume distribution and help rationalise the behaviour observed upon compactification. Recent studies of bi- or polydisperse mixtures of ellipsoidal particles reveal some interesting relations that may enable a deeper understanding of packing properties more broadly.