Viscous dissipation with fluid inertia in oscillatory shear flow

For liquids with high viscosity and low thermal conductivity, viscous dissipation can cause appreciable errors in rheological property measurements. Here, the influences of both viscous dissipation and fluid inertia on the property measurements in oscillatory sliding plate rheometry are investigated. For Newtonian fluids, Bird (1965) solved the combined problem analytically, but only for high frequencies. Here his solution is extended to any frequencies. Also, the equations of motion and energy are solved for linear viscoelastic fluids, and new analytical solutions for the velocity and temperature profiles are given. In both Newtonian and linear viscoelastic fluids, the temperature rise in the gap increases with frequency. The location of the maximum temperature shifts from the mid-plane at low frequency towards the moving wall at high frequency. The fluid inertia increases the viscous dissipation in both fluids. By solving the combined problem, this paper simplifies rheometer design by providing one unified criterion for avoiding measurement errors. Operating limits are presented graphically for minimizing the effects of both fluid inertia and viscous dissipation in oscillatory sliding plate rheometry.     

Problems of non-uniqueness when interpreting the effect of fluid inertia on the complex viscosity function

A theoretical investigation is carried out into the interpretation of the effect of fluid inertia on the complex viscosity function as measured on a controlled stress rheometer. The problem of non-unique solutions to the governing equations is considered for the parallel plate geometry. The locations of these solutions are investigated by considering the critical points of the complex mapping associated with the linear viscoelastic equations of motion. It is shown that these critical points play an important role in determining where convergence problems are likely to occur when applying numerical methods of solution to the governing equations. Analytical approximations based on a series expansion about a critical point are developed as an alternative approach to a numerical solution in the neighbourhood of a critical point. In order to verify the theoretical predictions a numerical simulation of the behaviour of a single element Maxwell fluid on a controlled stress rheometer is carried out for a parallel plate geometry. Received: 27 July 1998 Accepted: 9 April 1999     

Transonic Euler computation in streamfunction co-ordinates

Numerical simulation by a finite element method is used to examine the problem of the rotating flow of a viscoelastic fluid in a cylindrical vessel agitated with a paddle impeller. The mathematical model consists of a viscoelastic constitutive equation of Oldroyd B type coupled to the hydrodynamic equations expressed in a rotating frame. This system is solved by using an unsteady approach for velocity, pressure and stress fields. For Reynolds numbers in the range 0.1–10, viscoelastic effects are taken into account up to a Deborah number De of 1.33 and viscoelasticity and inertia cross-effects are studied. Examining the velocity and stress fields as well as the power consumption, it is found that their evolutions are significantly different for low and moderate inertia. These results confirm the trends of experimental studies and show the specific contribution of elasticity without interference of the pseudoplastic character found in actual fluids.     

Inertia effects of the fluid and cylinder in coaxial cylindrical rheometer

The inertias of the fluid and the inner cylinder in coaxial cylinder rheometer (CACR) have great influence on the unsteady flow of non-Newtonian fluid. Even for the Newtonian fluid there exist the so called “stress overshoot” phenomenon. In the present article this phenomenon was studied in detail and a method correcting the measured results for an unsteady flow in the rheometer was proposed. It is found that the inertia effect of the fluid can be ignored when the gap between cylinders is small. The project was supported by the Youth Foundation of the Fourth Military Medical University     

Comparison of stress-controlled and strain-controlled rheometers for large amplitude oscillatory shear

In linear viscoelastic region, it is well known that dynamic modulus and dynamic compliance can be converted to each other. However, it is questionable whether there exists an interconversion between large amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS) data measured from different types of rheometers—stress-controlled and strain-controlled rheometers. Hence, we tried to prove the existence by use of polyethylene oxide (PEO) aqueous solutions with well-developed entanglements. From this experiment, we can conclude that a stress-controlled rheometer can simulate LAOS behavior measured from a strain-controlled rheometer under the conditions where inertia effect is not significant. Furthermore, it is investigated whether the LAOS data of the stress-controlled rheometer obey stress–frequency superposition as the strain–frequency superposition found by Cho et al. (J Rheol 54:27–63, 2010) from LAOS data measured by the strain-controlled rheometer. This scaling relation shows that the dimensionless stress amplitude is a function of zeta which is the product of the stress amplitude and linear viscoelastic function J′(ω). The plot shows that all of the data are superposed in a single curve without regard to frequency, molecular weight, and concentration of PEO aqueous solutions.     

Flow Characteristics of a “Multiconfigurational”, Shear Thinning Viscoelastic Fluid with Particular Reference to the Orthogonal Rheometer

This paper deals with the flow characteristics of a class of nonsimple viscoelastic fluid models developed by Rajagopal and Srinivasa (1999). The central feature of these models is that the stress response is lastic from a changing natural configuration with the viscous dissipation occurring due to changes in the natural state. The class of models considered are characterized by three independent parameters that represent respectively the elasticity, the viscosity and the shear thinning index. The stress relaxation response of the material is compared with experimental data reported by Bower et al. (1987) for polyisobutelene in cetane, and parameters that fit the data are calculated. The flow of such a fluid between parallel disks rotating about noncoincident axes (the orthogonal rheometer) is then studied. It is shown that the assumed velocity field leads to a system of second-order nonlinear ordinary differential equations (Rajagopal, 1982). A parametric study is then undertaken to see the effect of the various material, geometrical, and flow parameters on the flow characteristics. It is observed that inertial effects and shear thinning effects are roughly complementary in the range of parameters considered. While it is well known that boundary layers occur in these flows due to inertial effects, it is demonstrated that these boundary effects are insensitive to the Reynolds number but rather are determined by the absorption number. Finally, in the range of parameters that are commonly observed in such rheometers, it is shown that neglect of inertia causes significant discrepancies in the calculation of the boundary shear rates. Received 3 June 1999 and accepted 2 October 1999     

Fluid inertia effects on a Controlled Stress Rheometer in its oscillatory mode

This paper is concerned with the effect of fluid inertia on experimental oscillatory stress data taken from a Controlled Stress Rheometer. A linear viscoelastic theory is developed which includes the effect of fluid inertia for cone and plate, parallel plate and concentric cylinder geometries. This theory is used to interpret dynamic data for both a slightly elastic and a highly viscoelastic fluid. It is shown that intertial effects are very small for both a cone and plate and parallel plate geometries. Inertial effects, however, can be important in the concentric cylinder geometry.     

A double wall-ring geometry for interfacial shear rheometry

The rheological properties of complex fluid interfaces are of prime importance in a number of technological and biological applications. Whereas several methods have been proposed to measure the surface rheological properties, it remains an intrinsically challenging problem due to the small forces and torques involved and due to the intricate coupling between interfacial and bulk flows. In the present work, a double wall-ring geometry to measure the viscoelastic properties of interfaces in shear flows is presented. The geometry can be used in combination with a modern rotational rheometer. A numerical analysis of the flow field as a function of the surface viscoelastic properties is presented to evaluate the non-linearities in the surface velocity profile at a low Boussinesq number. The sensitivity of the geometry, as well as its applicability, are demonstrated using some reference Newtonian and viscoelastic fluids. Oscillatory and steady shear measurements on these reference complex fluid interfaces demonstrate the intrinsic sensitivity, the accuracy, and the dynamic range of the geometry when used in combination with a sensitive rheometer.     

Experimental observations on the pressure-dependent polymer melt rheology of linear low density polyethylene,using a multi-pass rheometer

We report experimental data for a linear low density grade of polyethylene at elevated temperatures using a newly designed Multi-Pass Rheometer. This rheometer is capable of measuring oscillatory viscoelastic data and steady shear capillary measurements on the same test fluid within an enclosed environment. Data presented in this paper show that at low pressures there is reasonable self-consistency between the Multi-Pass data and separate oscillatory data obtained by using a Rheometrics Mechanical Spectrometer and steady shear data obtained from a Rosand capillary rheometer. In addition, we report experimental data on the pressure dependence for both viscoelastic and steady shear data over the range of 1–230 bar. The steady shear results appear to be consistent with previously published data. The apparent viscosity and the viscoelastic data both show a linear increase of about 20% over the pressure range tested.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. J. Meissner on the occasion of his retirement from the chair of Polymer Physics at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, Switzerland     

Concentration dependence of the linear viscoelastic properties of particle suspensions

The response under small amplitude oscillatory deformations of a suspension of non-Brownian spheres dispersed in a viscoelastic fluid is investigated. The correspondence principle of linear viscoelasticity is used to derive a simple constitutive model from a model for a suspension in a Newtonian liquid. The theory predicts that for a specific particulate system the concentration dependence of the viscoelastic properties should collapse to a single master curve when the values are normalized with those of the carrier fluid alone. Measurements with the micro-Fourier rheometer using oscillatory squeeze flow are carried out on two suspensions of 60 and 80 μm sized particles dispersed in polymeric fluid and in silicon oil, and the master curve is verified. Received: 27 April 1999/Accepted: 15 October 1999     

Numerical simulation of transient planar flow of a viscoelastic material with two moving free surfaces

In this study, we examine the numerical simulation of transient viscoelastic flows with two moving free surfaces. A modified Galerkin finite element method is implemented to the two-dimensional non-steady motion of the fluid of the Oldroyd-B type. The fluid is initially placed between two parallel plates and bounded by two straight free boundaries. In this Lagrangian finite element method, the spatial mesh deforms in time along with the moving free boundaries. The unknown shape of the free surfaces is determined with the flow field u, v, τ, p by the deformable finite element method, combined with a predictor-corrector scheme in an uncoupled fashion. The moving free surfaces and fluid motion of both Newtonian and non-Newtonian flows are investigated. The results include the influence of surface tension, fluid inertia and elasticity.     

Viscoelastic measurement of complex fluids using forced oscillating torsion resonator with continuously varying frequency capability

Traditional torsional resonators, often obtaining the viscoelastic moduli of complex fluids only at one or several given discrete frequencies, lack the continuously varying frequency capability. This is an obvious disadvantage of the traditional torsional resonator technique. This paper presents an improved strategy, based on our previous discrete-frequency-measuring method (Wang et al., J Rheol 52:999–1011, 2008), to overcome such restriction and thus accomplish the continuously varying frequency capability of the traditional torsional resonator for measuring the viscoelastic properties of complex fluids. The feasibility of this strategy is demonstrated with the Newtonian fluids (several water–glycerol solutions) of viscosities varying from 10 to 1,400 cp by using our homemade torsion resonator apparatus in the 10 ~ 2,500 rad/s frequency range (continuous frequencies). Some results for typical viscoelastic polymers (two polyethylene oxide (PEO) aqueous solutions) are also given. Additionally, a comparison of the PEO results is made with the common rheometer technique. It is demonstrated that this improved strategy could enable the traditional torsional resonators, with one oscillating resonance mode, to work as the microrheological technique and the common rheometer technique in the continuous frequency range.     

Fluid inertia in large amplitude oscillatory shear

Homogeneous shearing is required in sliding plate flow experiments with one plate fixed and the other oscillating. However, when fluid inertia becomes significant, the velocity gradient and the stress will not be uniform. MacDonald et al. (1969) and Schrag (1977) investigated this effect for a linear viscoelastic fluid. However, linear viscoelasticity does not describe the behavior of melts in large amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS). Jeyaseelan et al. (1993) have shown that the Berkeley kinetic network model does accurately describe the LAOS behavior of polymer melts. In this work, the Berkeley model is solved for LAOS in sliding plate flow with fluid inertia, by numerical integration of spatially discretized forms of the governing equations. Nonlinear viscoelasticity is predicted to aggravate the effects of fluid inertia in LAOS and experiments confirm this. Specifically, fluid inertia amplifies the first harmonic and produces no even harmonics. Operating limits are presented graphically for minimizing inertial effects in LAOS experiments. Received: 2 January 1998 Accepted: 27 April 1998     

Micro-Fourier rheometer: Inertial effects

The inertial effects in a random squeezing rheometer are examined, both theoretically and experimentally. The rheometer is based on small amplitude random squeezing between two parallel plates, where the upper plate is driven by a random displacement with a broad band spectrum. A fast Fourier transform is used to deliver the complex modulus (or viscosity) of the fluid in a single brief test, over more than two decades of frequency. The inertia of the fluid is shown to produce an error factor, which is also a function of the frequency. The correction factor can be well approximated by a first-order correction in the Reynolds number, for a very large range of Reynolds number, making the inertial correction a very simple procedure for light fluids.     

The behavior of viscoelastic squeeze films subject to normal oscillations, including the effect of fluid inertia

The problem of the squeeze film flow of a viscoelastic fluid between parallel, circular disks is analyzed. The upper disk is subject to small, axial oscillations. Lodge's “rubber-like liquid” is used as the viscoelastic fluid model, and fluid inertia forces are included. An exact solution to the equations of motion is obtained involving in-phase and out-of-phase components of velocity field and load, with respect to the plate velocity. Peculiar resonance phenomena in the load amplitude are exhibited at high Deborah number. At certain combinations of Reynolds number and Deborah number, the in-phase and/or out-of-phase velocity field components may attain an unusual circulating type of motion in which the flow reverses direction across the film. In the low Deborah number limit, and in the low Reynolds number limit, the results of this study reduce to those obtained by other workers.     

DETERMINING MOTOR INERTIA OF A STRESS-CONTROLLED RHEOMETER

Viscoelastic measurements made with a stress-controlled rheometer are affected by system inertia. Of all contributors to system inertia, motor inertia is the largest. Its value is usually determined empirically and precision is rarely if ever specified. Inertia uncertainty has negligible effects on rheologic measurements below the coupled motor/plate/sample resonant frequency. But above the resonant frequency, G' values of soft viscoelastic materials such as dispersions, gels, biomaterials, and non-Newtonian polymers, err quadratically due to inertia uncertainty. In the present investigation, valid rheologic measurements were achieved near and above the coupled resonant frequency for a non-Newtonian reference material. At these elevated frequencies, accuracy in motor inertia is critical. Here we compare two methods for determining motor-inertia accurately. For the first (commercially-used) phase method, frequency responses of standard fluids were measured. Phase between G' and G" was analyzed at 5-70 Hz for motor inertia values of 50-150% of the manufacturer's nominal value. For a newly-devised two-plate method (10 mm and 60 mm parallel plates), dynamic measurements of a non-Newtonian standard were collected. Using a linear equation of motion with inertia, viscosity, and elasticity coefficients, G' expressions for both plates were equated and motor inertia was determined to be accurate (by comparison to the phase method) with a precision of ± 3%. The newly developed two-plate method had advantages of expressly eliminating dependence on gap, was explicitly derived from basic principles, quantified the error, and required fewer experiments than the commercially used phase method.     

The yield surface of viscoelastic and plastic fluids in a vane viscometer

Vane viscometers are often used to investigate the low shear rate properties of plastic fluids. The shear stress is determined by assuming that the material is held in the space between the vane blades so that it behaves like a rigid cylinder. Experimental evidence supports this assumption and the aim of the present study is to model numerically the yield process in a vane rheometer using viscoelastic and plastic fluids. The finite element method has been used to model the behavior of Herschel-Bulkley (Bingham), Casson and viscoelastic (Maxwell type) fluids. The penalty function approach for the pressure approximation and a rotating reference frame are used together with fine meshes containing more than 1300 elements. The results show that for Herschel-Bulkley (Bingham), and Casson fluids a rotating rigid cylinder of fluid is trapped inside the periphery of the vane, the shear stress is uniformly distributed over the surface of the cylinder. Finally a modified second order fluid is used to simulate the viscoelastic behaviour, anticipated to be an intermediate between the elastic deformation and the plastic flow, to provide a more realistic simulation of the yield process about a vane. In this case, contrast with the concentration of the elastic strain rate at the blade tips, a nearly uniform distribution of the plastic shear rate is still found. This implies that the plastic shear always distributes uniformly during the entire yielding process. Evidently the assumption of uniform shear on a rotating cylinder of material occluded in the blades of a vane is a valid and useful model for many types of fluid possessing a yield stress.     

Using filament stretching rheometry to predict strand formation and “processability” in adhesives and other non-Newtonian fluids

The spinning of polymeric fibers, the processing of numerous foodstuffs and the peel and tack characteristics of adhesives are all associated with the formation, stability and, ultimately, the longevity of thin fluid `strands'. This tendency to form strands is usually described in terms of the tackiness of the fluid or by heuristic concepts such as `stringiness' (Lakrout et al. J Adhesion 1999). The dynamics of such processes are complicated due to spatially and temporally non-homogeneous growth of extensional stresses, the action of capillary forces and the evaporation of volatile solvents. We describe the development and application of a simple instrument referred to as a microfilament rheometer (MFR) that can be used to readily differentiate between the dynamical response of different pressure-sensitive adhesive fluid formulations. The device relies on a quantitative observation of the rate of extensional thinning or `necking' of a thin viscous or viscoelastic fluid filament in which the solvent is free to evaporate across the free surface. This high-resolution measurement of the radial profile provides a direct indication of the ultimate time to break up of the fluid filament. This critical time is a sensitive function of the rheological properties of the fluid and the mass transfer characteristics of the solvent, and can be conveniently reported in terms of a new dimensionless quantity we refer to as a processability parameter P. We demonstrate the usefulness of this technique by presenting our results in the form of a case study in which we measure the visco-elasto-capillary thinning of slender liquid filaments for a number of different commercial polymer/solvent formulations and relate this to the reported processing performance of the materials. We also compare the MFR observations with the prediction of a simple 1D theory derived from the governing equations that model the capillary thinning of an adhesive filament. Received: 22 December 1999/Accepted: 4 January 2000