Comparison of squeeze flow and vane rheometry for yield stress and viscous fluids

Two principal squeeze flow modes are investigated for yield stress and Newtonian materials squeezed by a constant force, F, between plates of equal or unequal diameters. In mode A, the material fills the space between the plates and is extruded at their periphery as their separation decreases. Experiments are described to measure the contribution to F from the extrudate. In mode B, all the material remains in contact with the planes of the plates as their separation decreases; there is no extrudate. The results of mode B experiments agree closely with the predictions of theory and give rheological parameters in fair agreement with those measured by the rotational vane method. The material properties and extrusion behaviour which complicate mode A experiments are discussed.     

Radial filtration during constant-force squeeze flow of soft solids

Various soft solid suspensions were squeezed at constant force between polished and roughened circular glass plates and the time-dependence of the interplate separation was measured. The filterability of suspensions was quantified by their desorptivity S obtained from measurements of capillary suction time. The squeeze flow (SF) of suspensions for which S < 2 μm s^−1/2 was largely consistent with rheological theory, which neglected radial filtration: the relative motion between the liquid and solid phases of the suspension in the radial pressure gradient. Suspensions having S > 2 μm s^−1/2 showed SF behavior that was consistent with the presence of radial filtration.     

The influence of flow confinement on the rheological properties of complex fluids

The rheological properties of plastic and viscoplastic complex fluids have been investigated using constant velocity squeeze flow rheometry at small gaps in order to examine the influence of the resulting flow confinement. The fluids investigated were aqueous carbopol suspensions and three commercial products (Tesco English mustard, Tesco value lemon curd and Heinz tomato ketchup (HTK)). The bulk rheological properties were measured using parallel plate rheometry. Rough plates were used to eliminate wall slip in both rheometric configurations. The commercial products are Herschel–Bulkley fluids and, for gaps less than a critical value of ~200 μm, the yield stresses tended to large values. There was a corresponding trend to small values for the flow consistencies except for HTK, which has a negligibly small bulk value. A possible explanation is that the micro-structural correlation lengths of these fluids are of the order of that of the critical separation. The yield stresses of the carbopol suspensions also increased sharply at the critical gap but then decreased gradually with decreasing gap separation. The transition may correspond to the formation of a jammed state with the subsequent plastic flow at smaller gap separations arising from localised shearing.     

Shear and squeeze rheometry of suspensions of magnetic polymerized chains

We present the first experimental results on the magnetorheology of suspensions of non-Brownian magnetic ellipsoidal particles. These particles are made of spherical iron particles linked by polymers and are called polymerized chains. Steady shear, oscillatory shear, and oscillatory squeeze rheological tests have been performed. The rheological properties of the suspension of polymerized chains have been compared with those of the suspension of spherical iron particles. In shear flow, both suspensions develop nearly the same yield stress, while in squeeze flow, the yield stress is several times higher for the suspension of polymerized chains. We show that the squeezing force of a suspension of spherical particles is an increasing function of the magnetic field intensity at low magnetic fields but decreases dramatically at higher fields. Surprisingly, this phenomenon, attributed to cavitation or air entrainment, does not occur in the suspension of polymerized chains.     

Compression behaviors of magnetorheological fluids under nonuniform magnetic field

This work is concerned with an experimental and theoretical study on compression properties of magnetorheological fluids under the nonuniform field. Experimental tests of unidirectional monotonic compression were firstly carried out under constant area operation using a commercial plate–plate magneto-rheometer where the magnetic field radial distribution was nonuniform. Normal forces increased with decreasing of the gap distance, and two regions were found through the normal force versus gap distance curves: elastic deformation and plastic flow. High normal forces could be obtained in the case of high magnetic field, high compression velocity, low initial gap distance, high volume fraction, and high medium viscosity. In the plastic flow region, the normal force with the gap distance could be fitted with a power law relation $F_{\textrm {N}} \propto h^n$ , and the index n was around well in the range (?3, ?2). Taking nonuniform magnetic field into account, the theoretical modeling in the plastic flow was then developed to calculate the normal force under compression based on the continuum media theory. Compared to the uniform field, there existed a magnetic field gradient-induced normal force under nonuniform field. Considering the sealing and squeeze strengthening effect, the gap distance-dependent shear yield stress was proposed, and a good correspondence between the theoretical and experimental results was obtained.     

Squeeze-flow and vane rheometry of a gas–liquid foam

The rheology and slip of a dry shaving foam are investigated using squeeze-flow and rotating-vane methods. Constant-force squeeze flow between planar surfaces is used to study the effect of surface roughness on slip and to obtain the yield stress. Non-slip vane measurements are used to obtain the linear shear viscosity and elasticity at small strains, and the yield stress and strain at large strains. Data are compared with the small-strain Maxwell and Kelvin–Voigt linear-viscoelastic models. An apparent dependence of the yield stress and elasticity on the rotational speed of the vane is shown to result from time-dependent rheological parameters as the foam ages. The effect of viscosity in the pre-yield region may give an erroneous identification of yield.     

Squeeze flow of Bingham fluids under slip with friction boundary condition

This paper develops a theoretical analysis of a Bingham fluid in slipping squeeze flow. The flow field decomposition consists in combining a central extensional flow zone in the plane of symmetry and shear flow zones near the plates. It is also considered that the slipping zone is located around a central sticking zone as previously shown from experiments. It is assumed that the shear stress at the plates is constant in the slipping zone and equals a fixed friction yield value. The squeeze force required to compress a Bingham fluid under the slipping behaviour as well as the radial evolution of the transition point between both sticking and slipping zones are finally determined.     

Reverse squeeze film flow in a continous flow system

The continuous-flow squeeze film apparatus has been adapted to permit flow to take place in either direction. This simulates normal and reversed squeezing flow between discs by having liquid moving through the lower plate, with neither plate moving. The liquid exudes from 1580 uniformly-distributed holes in the plate surface. All tests were performed at a temperature of 24.0°C.Water is used in early tests, and it is shown that the contribution to load bearing from the inertia of the fluid is comparable in reverse and normal flows; fluid inertia increases the force which would be required to move the plates in either direction. A novel “mirror image” graphical presentation is used.Tests using a dilute polymer solution show load enhancement effects for both normal and reversed squeeze film flow. The enhancement is roughly equal in both directions of flow, with no transient effects, and fluid elasticity increases the force which would be required to move the plates in either direction. It is suggested that the stress developed in the fluid is independent of the direction of flow.The significance of the tests regarding lubricating problems is mentioned; the important case of rapid load reversal requires further attention.     

Rheological behavior of sewage sludge and strain-induced dewatering

In order to study the strain-induced water release in sewage sludge and its connection with rheological behavior, two types of rheological tests have been carried out. The rheology of sewage sludge samples stemming from a urban sewer was first characterized using a Couette cell system. In particular, the yielding behavior and the elastic modulus of the sludge has been considered under shear flow conditions. In these pure shear tests the reproducibility of the measurements was rather poor, limiting this study to low strains. Consequently, a second type of rheological tests, namely the squeeze test, which is more appropriate for these paste-like materials, has been considered. The rheological behavior along with the dewatering efficiency have been studied under the squeeze flow conditions. Surprisingly, it was found that, under certain conditions, the strain-induced water release mechanism became more effective when decreasing the squeeze speed. This was interpreted in terms of a competition between the paste flow and the water filtration through the porous media made up by the flocs.     

An experimental test of equations predicting the load bearing capacity of squeeze films of elastico-viscous liquid

A form of squeeze film apparatus was recently described in which the movement of one plate towards the other was simulated by the continuous volume generation of liquid over the plate area. The liquid exuded from a large number of holes in the lower plate surface and formed a “continous flow” version of squeeze film apparatus with no moving parts [1]. A later paper gave derivations of equations from which squeeze film load bearing capacity could be evaluated, taking into account viscous, inertial and normal stress effects in the liquid film [2].In order to find the total load in a squeeze film system, it was necessary to obtain the relationship between the first normal stress difference and shear rate for the liquid in use, using an experimental method. At high shear rates, the jet thrust method provided these data [3,4] and from them the load bearing capacity of squeeze films of hot, polymer-thickened oil were predicted [2].A more complete test of the method is possible with a highly elastic liquid because considerable load enhancement due to extra stress is present at moderate deformation rates in squeeze film systems [1,5,6,7]. Thus a 0.1 per cent aqueous polyacrylamide solution gives well-defined load enhancement and (quite independently) the jet thrust method gives the relationship between normal stress and shear rate from which predictions of load enhancement may be made. Furthermore, convergent nozzles may be used in the jet thrust apparatus [3] to measure the stress development in an elastic liquid which is being simulateneously sheared and stretched, a situation which more closely resembles the squeeze film case than that of steady shear.     

Flow and blockage of highly concentrated granular suspensions in non-Newtonian fluid

Studying the flow of highly concentrated granular suspensions represents a great challenge since they are characterized by a rather complex rheological behavior. In addition, macroscopic heterogeneities may be induced by the flow during rheological measurements due to the eventual relative motion between the liquid and the granular phases that may take place under certain conditions. Solid–liquid separation may ultimately lead to flow blockage. In the present investigation we consider experimentally the influence of the rheological properties of the suspending fluid on the transition between the flow and blockage of a concentrated suspension in a squeeze set-up geometry. The suspending fluid consists of an aqueous Xanthan solution for which rheological properties can be tuned by changing the polymer concentration. For each polymer concentration, it is shown that there exist flow parameters (squeeze velocity and gap thickness) for which one has a transition between homogeneous flow of the suspension and its blockage. Blockage diagrams, delimiting flowability and blockage zones, are then determined. Physical arguments are given to relate the evolution of the blockage diagrams to the flow parameters and rheological properties of suspending fluid.     

Numerical simulation of power law and yield stress fluid flows in double concentric cylinder with slotted rotor and vane geometries

In our previous report, we showed that a rheometer equipped with a double concentric cylinder geometry with slotted rotor could effectively reduce wall slip effects and thus it could be used as an alternative to a rheometer with a vane geometry in yield stress measurements. Here, we use three-dimensional CFD simulation to compare these two geometries for rheological measurements of power law and yield stress fluids. Our results indicate that the double concentric cylinder rheometer with slotted rotor (DCCR/SR) is able to accurately measure rheological properties of a wider spectrum of test fluids than a vane rheometer because of significant reduction of the end and secondary flow effects.     

Rheometry using velocity measurements

Traditional methods of rheometry employ simple flows such as viscometric flows and measure stress or volumetric flow rate to determine the rheological parameters in the constitutive equation. One can find analytic solutions for stress and volumetric flow rates for these simple flows, and comparison of them with experimental data determines rheological parameter values. In the present investigation, rheological parameters are estimated by measuring velocity at certain locations. A pulsatile flow in a circular pipe, which can be implemented easily, is adopted to estimate rheological parameters in a general constitutive equation. The inverse problem of determining the rheological parameters from velocity measurements is solved using a conjugate gradient method. The present method is found to yield a reasonably accurate estimation of rheological parameters even with noisy velocity measurements.     

Transient squeeze flow of viscoplastic materials

The transient, axisymmetric squeezing of viscoplastic materials under creeping flow conditions is examined. The flow of the material even outside the disks is followed. Both cases of the disks moving with constant velocity or under constant force are studied. This time-dependent simulation of squeeze flow is performed for such materials in order to determine very accurately the evolution of the force or the velocity, respectively, and the distinct differences between these two experiments, the highly deforming shape and position of all the interfaces, the effect of possible slip on the disk surface, especially when the slip coefficient is not constant, and the effect of gravity. All these are impossible under the quasi-steady state condition used up to now. The exponential constitutive model, suggested by Papanastasiou, is employed. The governing equations are solved numerically by coupling the mixed finite element method with a quasi-elliptic mesh generation scheme in order to follow the large deformations of the free surface of the fluid. As the Bingham number increases, large departures from the corresponding Newtonian solution are found. When the disks are moving with constant velocity, unyielded material arises only around the two centers of the disks verifying previous works in which quasi-steady state conditions were assumed. The size of the unyielded region increases with the Bingham number, but decreases as time passes and the two disks approach each other. Their size also decreases as the slip velocity or the slip length along the disk wall increase. The force that must be applied on the disks in order to maintain their constant velocity increases significantly with the Bingham number and time and provides a first method to calculate the yield stress. On the other hand, when a constant force is applied on the disks, they slow down until they finally stop, because all the material between them becomes unyielded. The final location of the disk and the time when it stops provide another, probably easier, method to deduce the yield stress of the fluid.     

Measuring static yield stress of electrorheological fluids using the slotted plate device

An electrorheological (ER) response is defined as the dramatic change in rheological properties of a suspension of small particles due to the application of a large electric field transverse to the direction of flow. ER fluids are typically composed of nonconducting or semiconducting particles dispersed in a nonconducting continuous phase. A sufficiently large electric field will cause ER fluids to solidify, giving rising to a yield stress. Many applications in torque and stress transfer devices were proposed employing the reversible yielding behavior of ER fluids. Successful applications depend on a large yield stress of ER fluids and therefore accurate measurements of the yield stress of ER fluids are required. Reported experimental yield stresses of ER fluids have been dynamic yield stresses obtained by extrapolating the shear stress–shear rate data to zero-shear rate. It would be very helpful to the understanding of ER behaviors and the applications of ER fluids to be able to measure the static yield stress of ER fluids accurately. The slotted plate technique has been shown to be a successful method to determine the static yield stress of suspensions. The values obtained via the slotted plate method are static yield stress as the platform is designed for extremely low-speed motion. In this study, we modified the slotted plate device for the application of large electric fields and measured the static yield stress of TiO₂ ER fluids under various electric fields. The measured static yield stress values are also compared with the static yield stress values from a commercial rheometer.     

The squeeze flow of a bi-viscosity fluid between two rigid spheres with wall slip

In this paper, the squeeze flow between two rigid spheres with a bi-viscosity fluid is examined. Based on lubrication theory, the squeeze force is calculated by deriving the pressure and velocity expressions. The results of the normal squeeze force are discussed, and fitting functions of the squeeze and correction coefficients are given. The squeeze force between the rigid spheres increases linearly or logarithmically with the velocity when most or part of the boundary fluid reaches the yield state, respectively. Furthermore, the slip correction coefficient decreases with the increase in the velocity. The investigation may contribute to the further study of bi-viscosity fluids between rigid spheres with wall slip.     

Use of ram extruder as a combined rheo-tribometer to study the behaviour of high yield stress fluids at low strain rate

We propose in this work to provide an efficient and simple extruder device able to evaluate the rheological and tribological behaviour of high yield stress fluids, such as extrudible materials. An extruder able to measure simultaneously both the friction force acting on the extruder wall and the total extrusion force is developed. Based on previous studies, an efficient and accurate method of data analysis is then proposed and applied in order to obtain both a flow curve and a tribological law. Experimental tests are performed on soft modelling clay, kaolin paste and cement-based materials. Results are compared to conventional rheometry measurements. This comparison helps to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed experimental device and procedure.     

弹塑性流变模型在弹流脂润滑特性分析中的应用

采用自行研制的高速润滑脂拖动力试验装置测量了7007国产润滑脂的拖动力;以7007润滑脂为例,建立了该类高速润滑脂的平均剪切弹性模量和平均极限剪切应力的计算公式,基于Tevaarwerk-Johnson弹塑模型给出了拖动力的计算方法,并分析了其流变特性.结果表明:该润滑脂在本文试验条件下表现出弹塑性,其拖动力的理论预测值与试验测量值具有很好的一致性;所建立的拖动力计算公式可用于指导润滑分析领域的工程计算.     

Theoretical and experimental investigation of the flow of a viscoelastic fluid in the gap between two rotating disks

A theory of the nonlinear viscoelastic behavior of polymer fluids has been constructed in [1]. The theory was used in [2] to investigate the motion of a nonlinear viscoelastic medium under steady and unsteady deformation rates in simple shear flow, and a comparison was made with experiment. The experiments in [2], which were performed on a cone-plate Weissenberg rheogoniometer, indicate that this arrangement is unsuitable for measurements of normal stresses under unsteady conditions in fluids with a fairly high viscosity. Below, we will show the suitability of using a disk-disk Weissenberg rheogoniometer to measure normal stresses in this case for unsteady conditions (transition to steady flow and stress relaxation). In this regard, a theoretical study of the flow of a viscoelastic fluid in the gap between rotating disks is needed. Note that in this case new information will be obtained from a comparison with simple uniform shear flow, since in the flow of a polymer between two disks all three normal stress components contribute to the axial force, while in the gap between a cone and a plate only the first normal stress difference contributes to the normal force.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 2, pp. 25–30, March–April, 1976.