Influence of Mortar Rheology on Aggregate Settlement

The influence of the rheology of fresh concrete on the settlement of aggregate is examined. Fresh concrete exhibits a yield stress that, under certain conditions, prevents the settlement of coarse aggregate, although its density is larger than that of the suspending mortar. Calculations, based on estimates of the yield stress obtained from slump tests, predict that aggregate normally used in concrete should not sink. To test this prediction, the settlement of a stone in fresh mortar is monitored. The stone does not sink in the undisturbed mortar (which has a high yield stress), but sinks when the mortar is vibrated, presumably due to a large reduction in its yield stress. This implies that during placement of concrete, the aggregate settles only while the concrete is being vibrated. A unique experimental method for measuring aggregate settlement is also introduced and demonstrated

Magnetic field induced inversion in the effect of particle size on powder cohesiveness

Experimental measurements are reported on the tensile yield stress of magnetofluidized beds of fine magnetic powders operated in the cross-flow configuration. In the absence of externally applied magnetic field the yield stress of the powder depends on particle size as expected, i.e., it increases as bead size is decreased. This trend is however inverted when an external magnetic field is applied. It is suggested that the average orientation of interparticle contacts relative to the direction of the field as affected by particle size plays a relevant role on the magnetic yield stress of these systems.Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología de España-FIS2006-0364

Solid-fluid dynamics of yield-stress fluids

On the example of two-phase continua experiencing stress induced solid-fluid phase transitions we explore the use of the Euler structure in the formulation of the governing equations. The Euler structure guarantees that solutions of the time evolution equations possessing it are compatible with mechanics and with thermodynamics. The former compatibility means that the equations are local conservation laws of the Godunov type and the latter compatibility means that the entropy does not decrease during the time evolution. In numerical illustrations, in which the one-dimensional Riemann problem is explored, we require that the Euler structure is also preserved in the discretization.Comment: 51 pages, 7 figure

Direct evidence of plastic events and dynamic heterogeneities in soft-glasses

By using fluid-kinetic simulations of confined and concentrated emulsion droplets, we investigate the nature of space non-homogeneity in soft-glassy dynamics and provide quantitative measurements of the statistical features of plastic events in the proximity of the yield-stress threshold. Above the yield stress, our results show the existence of a finite stress correlation scale, which can be mapped directly onto the {\it cooperativity scale}, recently introduced in the literature to capture non-local effects in the soft-glassy dynamics. In this regime, the emergence of a separate boundary (wall) rheology with higher fluidity than the bulk, is highlighted in terms of near-wall spontaneous segregation of plastic events. Near the yield stress, where the cooperative scale cannot be estimated with sufficient accuracy, the system shows a clear increase of the stress correlation scale, whereas plastic events exhibit intermittent clustering in time, with no preferential spatial location. A quantitative measurement of the space-time correlation associated with the motion of the interface of the droplets is key to spot the long-range amorphous order at the yield stress threshold

Intermittent flow in yield-stress fluids slows down chaotic mixing

In this article, we present experimental results of chaotic mixing of Newtonian uids and yield stress fluids using rod-stirring protocol with rotating vessel. We show how the mixing of yield stress fluids by chaotic advection is reduced compared to the mixing of Newtonian fluids and explain our results bringing to light the relevant mechanisms: the presence of fluid that only flows intermittently, a phenomenon enhanced by the yield stress, and the importance of the peripheral region. This finding is confirmed via numerical simulations. Anomalously slow mixing is observed when the synchronization of different stirring elements leads to the repetition of slow stretching for the same fluid particles.Comment: 5 page

Simplified method measures changes in tensile yield strength using least number of specimens

Simplified method determines yield strength due to heat treat, irradiation or mechanical treatment. Each specimen in a group of specimens is tested for yield stress point, subjected to heat treat or irradiation, and retested for new yield stress point which is a measure of change in material

Rheopexy and tunable yield stress of carbon black suspensions

We show that besides simple or thixotropic yield stress fluids there exists a third class of yield stress fluids. This is illustrated through the rheological behavior of a carbon black suspension, which is shown to exhibit a viscosity bifurcation effect around a critical stress along with rheopectic trends, i.e., after a preshear at a given stress the fluid tends to accelerate when it is submitted to a lower stress. Viscosity bifurcation displays here original features: the yield stress and the critical shear rate depend on the previous flow history. The most spectacular property due to these specificities is that the material structure can be adjusted at will through an appropriate flow history. In particular it is possible to tune the material yield stress to arbitrary low values. A simple model assuming that the stress is the sum of one component due to structure deformation and one component due to hydrodynamic interactions predicts all rheological trends observed and appears to well represent quantitatively the data.Comment: submitted to Soft Matte