Statistical analysis of fabric of granular soils

The statistical distributions of some fundamental variables (pore volume, local porosity, number of interparticles contacts) related to the geometry of the micro-configurations of particulate media composed of randomly disposed equal spherical granules are theoretically derived. The analysis is carried out through the methods of Statistical Mechanics, by maximizing the configurational entropy associated with the distribution of the local porosity or of the volume of pores. Theoretical results are compared with available experimental data. The role of fluctuations around the most probable distribution and their dependence on the total volume of the sample are highlighted