This study presents analytical and experimental approaches to identify packing factors for polydisperse granular materials that maximize structural strength. The findings indicate that structural strength depends not only on the packing density but also on the particle-size distribution. A higher percentage of large particles correlates with greater structural strength, even for packings with identical density values. Therefore, this study proposes that the criterion for optimal packing should prioritize the maximum structural strength instead of the maximum packing density. This criterion is derived from proposed coordination numbers for polydisperse granular materials, which account for both the compaction degree and the proportion of particles of varying sizes. Physical experiments were conducted to measure the densities of packings with different particle-size distributions, and the experimental results were compared with analytical simulations using the discrete-element method. These comparisons indicate qualitative agreement between experimental and analytical data.

For precise property control of sintered products, it is important to understand accurately the packing density of the powder. We developed a packing simulation program that could make a packed bed of spherical particles having particle size distribution. In addition, the influence of the particle shape of the actual powder on the packing density was quantitatively analyzed. The predicted packing densities corresponded well to the actual data.