Numerical integration of van der Waals force between clay plates

Abstract

Van der Waals interaction is one of the most important interactions between clay particles. Some complicated behavior of clay can be explained from the van der Waals interaction point of view. However, due to the complexity in the mathematical formulation, it is very difficult to analytically integrate the function. This study provides a method to numerically integrate the van der Waals force function. The numerical integration implementation and validation are introduced. The effects of geometric configuration of two clay plates on the van der Waals interaction are quantitatively discussed. The geometry variables include clay plate size, plate separation, plate inclination and the offset of two plates.