Bernal random loose packing through freeze-thaw cycling

We study the effect of freeze-thaw cycling on the packing fraction of equal spheres immersed in water. The water located between the grains experiences a dilatation during freezing and a contraction during melting. After several cycles, the packing fraction converges to a particular value η∞ = 0.595 independently of its initial value η0. This behavior is well reproduced by numerical simulations. Moreover, the numerical results allow one to analyze the packing structural configuration. With a Vorono ̈ı partition analysis, we show that the piles are fully random during the whole process and are characterized by two parameters: the average Vorono ̈ı volume μv (related to the packing fractionη)andthestandarddeviationσv ofVorono ̈ıvolumes.Thefreeze-thawdrivingmodifythevolumestandard deviation σv to converge to a particular disordered state with a packing fraction corresponding to the random loose packing fraction ηBRLP obtained by Bernal during his pioneering experimental work. Therefore, freeze-thaw cycling is found to be a soft and spatially homogeneous driving method for disordered granular materials.