Packings of deformable spheres

We present an experimental study of disordered packings of deformable spheres. Fluorescent hydrogel spheres immersed in water together with a tomography technique enabled the imaging of the three-dimensional arrangement. The mechanical behavior of single spheres subjected to compression is first examined. Then the properties of packings of a randomized collection of deformable spheres in a box with a moving lid are tested. The transition to a state where the packing withstands finite stresses before yielding is observed. Starting from random packed states, the power law dependence of the normal force versus packing fraction or strain at different velocities is quantified. Furthermore, a compression-decompression sequence at low velocities resulted in rearrangements of the spheres. At larger packing fractions, a saturation of the mean coordination number took place, indicating the deformation and faceting of the spheres.