(c) (d)
Figure 16. Force chain plots for L-L contacts. (a) 25% large particles; (b) 50% large particles; (c) 75% large particles; (d) 100% large particles.
The force chains for L-L and L-S contacts are illustrated in Figure 17. For the 100% large system, the L-L contact is the only way for transmitting the force. For binary systems (particularly for the 50% large and 25% large mixtures), the L-S contacts are the primary vehicle for force transmission between large particles, as large particles are surrounded by many small particles. For the 75% large particle systems, small particles fill some gaps between the large particles and both L-L and L-S contacts serve to transmit forces.