Effects of electric fields and volume fraction on the rheology of hematite/silicone oil suspensions

Electrorheological (ER) fluids composed of iron(III) oxide (hematite) particles suspended in silicone oil are studied in this work. The rheological response has been characterized as a function of field strength, shear rate and volume fraction. The dielectric properties of the suspensions were first studied in order to get information about the conductivity of the solid. Rheological tests under a.c. electric fields elucidated the influence of the electric field strength and volume fraction on the field-dependent yield stress. It was found that this quantity scales as a square power law in both cases. The viscosities of electrified suspensions were found to increase by several orders of magnitude as compared to the unelectrified suspension at low shear rates, although at high shear rates hydrodynamic effects become dominant and no effects of the electric field on the viscosity are observed. The ER behaviour of the suspensions was analysed by considering the fundamental forces (of hydrodynamic and electrostatic origin) acting on the particles and it is found that, at a given volume fraction, all the dependencies of relative viscosity on shear rate and field strength can be described by a single function of the Mason number, Mn. Finally, two different chain models were used to explain the shear-thinning behaviour observed: rheological measurements showed a power-law dependence of relative viscosity decrease on the Mason number, _F~Mn, with –0.95.     

Effect of additives and measurement procedure on the electrorheology of hematite/silicone oil suspensions

The effects of measuring procedures and activating additives on the electrorheological (ER) behaviour of hematite/silicone oil suspensions are analysed. The structures built up in the presence of an electric field without shear are stronger than those produced with both electric and shear fields simultaneously applied. Such differences are measurable when the field strength is not high enough to dominate over hydrodynamic interactions. Regarding the effect of additives, the ER response is enhanced by water until a certain maximum amount, beyond which the effect decreases. The increase in water concentration also leads to higher values of the electric current. Similar results are observed when Brij 30 is used. However, this surfactant only raises the yield stress at low fields. Contrary to water, the surfactant forms droplets in solution, instead of adsorbing on the hematite surface. At sufficiently high field strengths, the droplets can coalesce, enclosing the hematite particles and thus reducing the overall ER effect.     

Electrorheological properties of PDMS/carbon black suspensions under shear flow

Suspensions of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) containing low amounts (1 wt.% or less) of a highly conducting carbon black (CB) filler are rendered conductive and exhibit electrorheological (ER) responses under shear flow when exposed to an externally applied AC electric field. The presence of columnar structures, consisting of CB particles aligned in the direction of the electric field is evidenced through optical microscopy experiments. The appearance of yielding behavior and positive ER response, manifested by an increase in the viscosity of the suspensions, depend strongly on the filler loading, strength of the electric field, magnitude of the shear field, and viscosity of the medium. The responses are stronger at low filler loadings, below the percolation threshold, and at very low shear rates, where the microstructure of the dispersed phase remains intact. At higher shear rates, corresponding to Mason numbers (Mn) above 1, the structure is disrupted and thus does not contribute to the observed shear stress. The rheological characterization is accompanied with admittance measurements, to demonstrate that the induced polarization forces between particles lead to the formation of electrically conductive structures within the polymer matrix. A critical comparison with the qualitative predictions based on the theory of induced dipole–dipole interactions shows that the theory is valid for these dilute systems.     

The rheology of suspensions of vinylon fibers in polymer liquids. I. Suspensions in silicone oil

Summary The steady shear flow properties of suspensions of vinylon fibers in silicone oil were measured by means of a cone-plate type rheometer. Three kinds of vinylon fibers used had no distributions of length and were more flexible than glass fibers and the like. The content of the fibers ranged from 0 to 7 wt.%. Shear viscosity, the first normal-stress difference, yield stress, and relative viscosity were discussed. Shear viscosity and relative viscosity increased with the fiber concentration and the aspect ratio, and depended upon the shear rate. The applicability of Ziegel's equation of viscosity for fiber suspensions was investigated. The first normal-stress difference increased with the fiber concentration, aspect ratio, and shear rate and its relative increase was much larger than for shear stress and viscosity depending on the properties of the characteristic time, The yield stress could be determined by Casson plots for large aspect ratio fiber suspensions even in low concentration comparing with the suspensions of spherical particles or powder. The influence of the flexibility of the fibers for the rheological properties of the fiber suspensions can not be ignored.With 12 figures and 2 tables     

Modeling of convective structures in a thin layer of silicone oil in air flow under heating

Numerical simulation was performed to study convective structures in a thin silicone oil layer heated from below, whose free surface is exposed to air flow generating drift flow. The basic equations are transformation to a form suitable for spectral methods. The steady flow velocity profile obtained in a laboratory experiment is calculated. It is shown that increasing the Reynolds number leads to the transition from polygonal convective cells to longitudinal rolls (elongated along the flow). The dependence of the transition Reynolds number on the temperature on the lower boundary of the layer is obtained. The calculation results are compared with experimental data.     

Numerical simulation and experimental verification of silicone oil flow over magnetic fluid under applied magnetic field

Two-layer flow of magnetic fluid and non-magnetic silicone oil was simulated numerically. The continuity equation, momentum equations, kinematic equation, and magnetic potential equation were solved in two-dimensional Cartesian coordinate. PLIC （piecewise linear integration calculation） VOF （volume of fluid） scheme was employed to track the free interface. Surface tension was treated via a continuous surface force （CSF） model that ensures robustness and accuracy. The influences of applied magnetic field, inlet velocity profile, initial surface disturbance of interface and surface tension were analyzed. The computed interface shapes at different conditions were compared with experimental observation.     

Behavior of suspensions under dynamic loading

Novosibirsk. Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, No. 5, pp. 68–77, September–October, 1994.     

Dynamic properties of shear thickening colloidal suspensions

The transient shear rheology (i.e., frequency and strain dependence) is compared to the steady rheology for a model colloidal dispersion through the shear thickening transition. Reversible shear thickening is observed and the transition stress compares well to theoretical predictions. Steady and transient shear thickening are observed to occur at the same value of the average stress. The critical strain for shear thickening is found to depend inversely on the frequency at fixed applied stress for low frequencies (high strains), but is limited to an apparent minimum critical strain at higher frequencies. This minimum critical strain is shown to be an artifact of slip. Lissajous plots illustrate the transition in material properties through the shear thickening transition, and the energy dissipated by a shear thickening suspension is analyzed as a function of strain amplitude.     

Concentration-dependent behaviour of the shear viscosity of coal-fuel oil suspensions

A function correlating the relative viscosity of a suspension of solid particles in liquids to their concentration is derived here theoretically using only general thermodynamic ideas, with out any consideration of microscopic hydrodynamic models. This function ( _r = exp (1/2B ^* C ²)) has a great advantage over the many different functions proposed in literature, for it depends on a single parameter,B ^*, and is therefore concise. To test the validity of this function, a least-squares regression analysis was undertaken of available data on the viscosity and concentration of suspensions of coal particles in fuel oil, which promise to be a useful alternative to fuel oil in the near future. The proposed function was found to accurately describe the concentration-dependent behaviour of the relative viscosity of these suspensions. Furthermore, an attempt was made to obtain information about the factors affecting the value ofB ^*, however the results were only qualitative because of, among other things, the inaccuracy of the viscosity measurements in such highly viscous fluids. shear viscosity of the suspension - ₀ shear viscosity of the Newtonian suspending medium - _r = /₀ relative viscosity - solid volume concentration - c solid weight concentration - _m maximum attainable volume concentration of solids - solid volume concentration at which the relative viscosity of the suspension becomes infinite - c _m maximum attainable solid weight concentration - _s density of the solid phase - _l density of the liquid phase - _m density of the suspension - k _n coefficients of theø-power series expansion of _r - { _j } sets of parameters specifying the thermodynamic state of the solid phase of a suspension - T absolute temperature (K) - f (c, T, _j) formal expression for the relative variation of the viscosity with concentration = [1 / (/c)] _T,j - d median size of the granulometric distribution - _B plastic or Bingham viscosity - K consistency factor - n flow index - g ([c _m –c],T, _j ) function including an asymptotic divergence asc tends toc _m , formally describing the concentration dependent behaviour of the shear viscosity of a suspension - A (T, _j) regression analysis parameters - B (T, _j) regression analysis parameters - B ^* (T, _j ) regression analysis parameters     

Rheological properties of suspensions of polyethylene-coated aluminum nanoparticles

Ultrafine aluminum powder was identified as very promising fuels for novel energetic materials formulations. However, the large specific surface area of this powder facilitates its oxidation and greatly reduces its shelf life. Therefore, different coating processes were proposed to solve this problem. The rheology of viscous suspensions of nanoparticles still remains poorly understood and the effect of the coating of such particles on the flow behavior is even more difficult to assess. We have studied the rheology of ultrafine aluminum suspensions in three low molecular weight polymers of different viscosities: a hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene, a polypropylene glycol, and a polysiloxane. The nanosize aluminum powder was previously coated by a thin layer of high-density polyethylene using an in situ polymerization process. The rheological characterization of the suspensions was conducted by the means of steady and oscillatory shear flow measurements for noncoated and coated particles. The effect of the coating process on the rheology of the suspensions is discussed in terms of the interactions between the particles and the suspending fluids.     

Compressive properties of epoxidized soybean oil/clay nanocomposites

High- and low strain-rate compression experiments were conducted on epoxidized soybean oil (ESO)/clay nanocomposites with nanoclay weights of 0%, 5%, and 8%. A pulse-shaped split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) was employed to conduct high strain-rate experiments. The pulse shaping technique ensures nearly constant-strain-rate deformation under dynamically equilibrated stresses in specimens such that accurate stress–strain curves at various high rates were obtained. A MTS 810 hydraulically driven materials testing system was used to obtain low strain-rate stress–strain curves. Strain-rate and nanoclay weight effects on the compressive properties of the nanocomposites were experimentally determined. A phenomenological strain-rate-dependent material model was presented to describe the stress–strain response. The model agrees well with the experimental data at both large and small strains as well as high and low strain rates.     

Effect of temperature on rheological properties of suspensions

A parameter, the product of viscosity of the suspension medium and applied shear rate, is introduced to describe the effect of temperature on the rheological properties of suspensions, considering the mechanism of agglomeration in suspensions. It is found that, by plotting rheograms of the shear stress versus this parameter, a single master curve can be obtained independently of temperature. The dependence of viscosity on temperature and the flow of suspensions are shown to be well described.     

Viscoelastic properties of a silicone resin during crosslinking

Viscoelastic properties of a silicone resin crosslinked at various extents were characterised by means of rheology. The influence of temperature on the viscoelastic properties of the material as-delivered and in a state pre-crosslinked approximately to the gel point has been investigated by dynamic-mechanical measurements. While the glass transition temperature is increased by the crosslinking, no changes of the free volume fraction at T _g and its thermal expansion coefficient were observed. Taking the different glass transition temperatures into account, it could be shown that the corresponding WLF-parameters are the same. The molar mass and, hence, the viscosity of the material can be increased by a heat treatment. The dependence of the zero shear-rate viscosity on the weight average molar mass indicates that the existence of entanglements of the polymer molecules is not very probable.     

Rheological properties of suspensions of spheres in non-Newtonian media

Summary The results of an experimental investigation of the rheologioal properties of dilute suspensions of rigid spheres 100m in diameter in non-Newtonian pseudoplastic liquids are reported. The shear flow properties of suspensions in a solution of polyisobutylene in tetralin, in aqueous solutions of polyacrylamide and sodium carboxymethylcellulose and in a Newtonian fluid have been investigated at solid concentrations up to 10% by volume. A concentric cylinder viscometer was used, results being corrected for end effects and variations in shear rate across the gap. Results for the Newtonian fluid were not inconsistent with published data. It was found that, within the range of variables investigated, for each of the non-Newtonian fluids the relative fluidity, comparing the suspension and the suspending fluid at the same shear stress, was a function of concentration only whereas the relative fluidity comparing the suspension and the fluid at the same shear rate depended on both concentration and shear rate. The fractional decrease in fluidity produced by a given concentration of spheres in polyisobutylene solution was about double that produced by the same concentration in any of the other fluids.In what are believed to be the first reported measurements of normal stress in suspensions, the first normal stress difference (p ₁₁-p ₂₂ for the fluids was derived from the normal force exerted on the cone of a Rheogoniometer during steady rotation. Over ranges of concentration and shear rate limited by experimental difficulties the ratio of shear rate to normal stress for the suspension divided by the corresponding quantity for the base solution appeared to be a function of concentration only when the liquids were compared at the same normal stress but not when compared at the same shear rate. However, this conclusion was less certain than the corresponding result for relative fluidity.

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Zusammenfassung Die Ergebnisse der experimentellen Untersuchung der rheologischen Eigenschaften verdünnter Suspensionen von harten Kugeln mit einem Durchmesser von 100m in nicht-Newtonschen pseudoplastischen Flüssigkeiten werden mitgeteilt. Die Scherströmungseigenschaften der Suspensionen in einer Lösung von Polyisobutylen in Tetralin, in wäßrigen Lösungen von Polyacrylamid und Natriumcarboxymethylcellulose und in einer Newtonschen Flüssigkeit sind bei Festkörperkonzentrationen bis zu 10 Vol% untersucht worden. Es wurde ein konzentrisches Zylinderviskosimeter benutzt. Die Ergebnisse wurden in bezug auf Endeffekte und Schwankungen des Schergefälles über den Spalt korrigiert. Die Ergebnisse für die Newtonsche Flüssigkeit widersprechen veröffentlichten Daten nicht. Es ergab sich, daß innerhalb des Bereichs der untersuchten Variablen bei jeder der nicht-Newtonschen Flüssigkeiten die relative Viskosität bei einem Vergleich der Suspensionen mit der Grundflüssigkeit bei der gleichen Schubspannung nur konzentrationsabhängig war, während die relative Viskosität bei einem Vergleich der Suspension mit der Flüssigkeit bei dem gleichen Schergefälle sowohl von der Konzentration als auch vom Schergefälle abhing. Die teilweise Abnahme der Viskosität, die durch eine bestimmte Kugelkonzentration in einer Polyisobutylen-Lösung hervorgerufen wird, war ungefähr doppelt so hoch wie die, die sich bei gleicher Konzentration in allen anderen Flüssigkeiten einstellte. Bei den, wie wir glauben, erstmals veröffentlichten Messungen von Normalspannungen in Suspensionen, wurde die erste Normalspannungsdifferenz (P ₁₁-P ₁₂) für die Flüssigkeiten aus der Normalkraft abgeleitet, die auf dem Kegel eines Rheometers während einer konstanten Rotation ausgeübt wird. Über die durch experimentelle Schwierigkeiten begrenzten Bereiche von Konzentration und Schergefälle war das Verhältnis von Schergefälle zu Normalspannung der Suspension, geteilt durch die entsprechende Größe für die Grundlösung eine Funktion der Konzentration, nur wenn die Flüssigkeiten bei der gleichen Normalspannung verglichen wurden. Sie waren es nicht, wenn sie bei gleichem Schergefälle gegenübergestellt wurden. Diese Schlußfolgerung war weniger zuverlässig als das entsprechende Ergebnis für die relative Viskosität.

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Paper presented at the British Society of Rheology Conference on Advances in Rheology, Glasgow, September 16–18, 1969.     

Direct measurement of static yield properties of cohesive suspensions

A technique of yield stress investigation based upon the combined use of two devices (an applied stress rheometer and an instrument for measuring the propagation velocity of small amplitude, torsional shear waves) is described. Investigations into the low shear rate rheological properties of illitic suspensions are reported for shear rates, typically, in the range 10^–4— 10^–1 s^–1 under applied stresses in the range 0.01 — 10 Nm^–2 and involving shear strains between 10^–1 and 10^–4. Results are presented which demonstrate that the technique does not invoke the excessive structural disruption of material associated with applied shear rate based methods (direct and otherwise) and the widely encountered problem of wall slip at the surface of rotational measuring devices is avoided using miniature vane geometries. Results are compared with those obtained using smooth-walled cyclindrical measuring devices in both applied stress and applied shear rate instruments.Yield measurements are considered in relation to the structural properties of the undisturbed material state and shear moduli obtained by studying the propagation of small amplitude (10^–5 rad), high frequency (~ 300 Hz) torsional shear waves through the test materials are reported. Experimental techniques and instrument modifications to permit these measurements are described.     

Dynamic and rheological properties of soft biological cell suspensions

Quantifying dynamic and rheological properties of suspensions of soft biological particles such as vesicles, capsules, and red blood cells (RBCs) is fundamentally important in computational biology and biomedical engineering. In this review, recent studies on dynamic and rheological behavior of soft biological cell suspensions by computer simulations are presented, considering both unbounded and confined shear flow. Furthermore, the hemodynamic and hemorheological characteristics of RBCs in diseases such as malaria and sickle cell anemia are highlighted.     

Structure, physical properties and dynamics of magnetorheological suspensions

The dynamic structure and physical properties (rheological, magnetic) of magnetorheological suspensions are described in terms of a stationary model, according to which a suspension in a magnetic field represents a system of ordered non-interacting ellipsoidal aggregates oriented at some angle to the fiow. The model is verified experimentally by measurements of steady-state effective rheological and magnetic characteristics.     

Behavior of viscoelastic glass bead suspensions under superposed flows

Parallel superposed flows may be useful in order to explain the rheological behavior of viscoelastic suspensions. It has been shown that relaxation times of molecules are affected by a combined flow, and the rheological behavior of glass bead suspensions in a viscoelastic medium is explaned in terms of such variations.