https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/201714001008
A local view on the role of friction and shape
Institute for Multiscale Simulation, Friedrich-Alexander-University (FAU), 91052 Erlangen, Germany
* e-mail: matthias.schroeter@fau.de
Published online: 30 June 2017
Leibniz said “Naturam cognosci per analogiam”: nature is understood by making analogies. This statement describes a seminal epistemological principle. But one has to be aware of its limitations: quantum mechanics for example at some point had to push Bohr’s model of the atom aside to make progress. This article claims that the physics of granular packings has to move beyond the analogy of frictionless spheres, towards local models of contact formation.
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2017
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
