19,169 research outputs found
Self-similar shear-thickening behavior in CTAB/NaSal surfactant solutions
The effect of salt concentration Cs on the critical shear rate required for
the onset of shear thickening and apparent relaxation time of the
shear-thickened phase, has been investigated systematically for dilute
CTAB/NaSal solutions. Experimental data suggest a self-similar behavior of the
critical shear rate and relaxation time as functions of Cs. Specifically, the
former ~ Cs^(-6) whereas the latter ~ Cs^(6) such that an effective Weissenberg
number for the onset of the shear thickened phase is only weakly dependent on
Cs. A procedure has been developed to collapse the apparent shear viscosity
versus shear rate data obtained for various values of Cs into a single master
curve. The effect of Cs on the elastic modulus and mesh size of the
shear-induced gel phase for different surfactant concentrations is discussed.
Experiments performed using different flow cells (Couette and cone-and-plate)
show that the critical shear rate, relaxation time and the maximum viscosity
attained are geometry-independent. The elastic modulus of the gel phase
inferred indirectly by employing simplified hydrodynamic instability analysis
of a sheared gel-fluid interface is in qualitative agreement with that
predicted for an entangled phase of living polymers. A qualitative mechanism
that combines the effect of Cs on average micelle length and Debye parameter
with shear-induced configurational changes of rod-like micelles is proposed to
rationalize the self-similarity of SIS formation.Comment: 27 pages, 17 figure
Shear-induced transitions and instabilities in surfactant wormlike micelles
In this review, we report recent developments on the shear-induced
transitions and instabilities found in surfactant wormlike micelles. The survey
focuses on the non-linear shear rheology and covers a broad range of surfactant
concentrations, from the dilute to the liquid-crystalline states and including
the semi-dilute and concentrated regimes. Based on a systematic analysis of
many surfactant systems, the present approach aims to identify the essential
features of the transitions. It is suggested that these features define classes
of behaviors. The review describes three types of transitions and/or
instabilities : the shear-thickening found in the dilute regime, the
shear-banding which is linked in some systems to the isotropic-to-nematic
transition, and the flow-aligning and tumbling instabilities characteristic of
nematic structures. In these three classes of behaviors, the shear-induced
transitions are the result of a coupling between the internal structure of the
fluid and the flow, resulting in a new mesoscopic organization under shear.
This survey finally highlights the potential use of wormlike micelles as model
systems for complex fluids and for applications.Comment: 64 pages, 31 figures, 2 table
A laboratory Study of Polymer Rheology in Bulk and in Sandstone Cores with Application to German Oilfields
Imperial Users onl
Deflection, drift and advective growth in variable-density, laminar mixing layers
Specific features of the variable-density mixing layers without gravity effects are studied using self-similar solutions to the laminar and time-evolving variant of this flow. Density variations come from either mass or temperature mixing, accounting for, in the latter case, the effect of the Mach number. The transverse profiles of the flow quantities, as well as the time evolutions of the global characteristic scales of the mixing layer, are given for a wide range of density ratio and Mach-number values. When compared to the constant-density case, it appears that most of the specificity of these flows comes from the emergence of a nonzero transverse component of the velocity. First, it produces a deflection of the flow that can be either confined in the core of the layer or global, the whole layer being tilted at an angle from the initial flow direction. In most cases, this deflection is such that some part of the higher-density fluid is "entrained" in the direction of the lower-density fluid, leaving no possibility to define a dividing streamline. Second, it leads to a shift between the density profile and the profiles of the other flow quantities. This shift scales on the time-increasing mixing-layer thickness and therefore appears as a time drift. When global deflection is present, the tilting of the layer can be shown to be equivalent to a global drift of the mixing/shear layer toward the light-fluid side of the flow. Third, transport by the transverse velocity component affects the spreading of the mixing layer, giving rise to an additional effect referred to as advective growth. Examination of the density-ratio and Mach-number effects leads to surprising results: While the momentum thickness is always observed to decrease when increasing these parameters, conventional thicknesses based on the profiles of the different variables can show opposite behaviors depending on the form of the diffusion model for the considered variable
Design and application of magneto-rheological fluid
Magneto-Rheological Fluid (MRF) technology is an old “newcomers” coming to the market at high speed. Various industries including the automotive industry are full of potential MRF applications. Magneto-Rheological Fluid technology has been successfully employed already in various low and high volume applications. A structure based on MRF might be the next generation in design for products where power density, accuracy and dynamic performance are the key features.
Additionally, for products where is a need to control fluid motion by varying the viscosity, a structure based on MRF might be an improvement in functionality and costs. Two aspects of this technology, direct shear mode (used in brakes and clutches) and valve mode (used in dampers) have been studied thoroughly and several applications are already present on the market. Excellent features like fast response, simple interface between electrical power input and mechanical power output, and precise controllability make MRF technology attractive for many applications.
This paper presents the state of the art of an actuator with a control arrangement based on MRF technology. The study shows that excellent features like fast response, simple interface between electrical power input and the mechanical power output, and controllability make MRF the next technology of choice for many applications
Shear thickening of cornstarch suspensions as a re-entrant jamming transition
We study the rheology of cornstarch suspensions, a dense system of
non-Brownian particles that exhibits shear thickening, i.e. a viscosity that
increases with increasing shear rate. Using MRI velocimetry we show that the
suspension has a yield stress. From classical rheology it follows that as a
function of the applied stress the suspension is first solid (yield stress),
then liquid and then solid again when it shear thickens. The onset shear rate
for thickening is found to depend on the measurement geometry: the smaller the
gap of the shear cell, the lower the shear rate at which thickening occurs.
Shear thickening can then be interpreted as the consequence of the Reynolds
dilatancy: the system under flow wants to dilate but instead undergoes a
jamming transition because it is confined, as confirmed by measurement of the
dilation of the suspension as a function of the shear rate
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