Complex networks from space-filling bearings

Abstract

Two dimensional space-filling bearings are dense packings of disks that can rotate without slip. We consider the entire first family of bearings for loops of size four and propose a hierarchical construction of their contact network. We provide analytic expressions for the clustering coefficient and degree distribution, revealing bipartite scale-free behavior with tunable degree exponent depending on the bearing parameters. We also analyze their average shortest path and percolation properties.