Direct numerical simulations for non-Newtonian rheology of concentrated particle dispersions

The non-Newtonian behavior of a monodisperse concentrated dispersion of spherical particles was investigated using a direct numerical simulation method, that takes into account hydrodynamic interactions and thermal fluctuations accurately. Simulations were performed under steady shear flow with periodic boundary conditions in the three directions. The apparent shear viscosity of the dispersions was calculated at volume fractions ranging from 0.31 to 0.56. Shear-thinning behavior was clearly observed at high volume fractions. The low- and high-limiting viscosities were then estimated from the apparent viscosity by fitting these data into a semi-empirical formula. Furthermore, the short-time motions were examined for Brownian particles fluctuating in concentrated dispersions, for which the fluid inertia plays an important role. The mean square displacement was monitored in the vorticity direction at several different Peclet numbers and volume fractions so that the particle diffusion coefficient is determined from the long-time behavior of the mean square displacement. Finally, the relationship between the non-Newtonian viscosity of the dispersions and the structural relaxation of the dispersed Brownian particles is examined

A direct numerical simulation method for complex modulus of particle dispersions

We report an extension of the smoothed profile method (SPM)[Y. Nakayama, K. Kim, and R. Yamamoto, Eur. Phys. J. E {\bf 26}, 361(2008)], a direct numerical simulation method for calculating the complex modulus of the dispersion of particles, in which we introduce a temporally oscillatory external force into the system. The validity of the method was examined by evaluating the storage $G'(\omega)$ and loss $G"(\omega)$ moduli of a system composed of identical spherical particles dispersed in an incompressible Newtonian host fluid at volume fractions of $\Phi=0$, 0.41, and 0.51. The moduli were evaluated at several frequencies of shear flow; the shear flow used here has a zigzag profile, as is consistent with the usual periodic boundary conditions

Lattice Model of Sweeping Interface for Drying Process in Water-Granule Mixture

Based on the invasion percolation model, a lattice model for the sweeping interface dynamics is constructed to describe the pattern forming process by a sweeping interface upon drying the water-granule mixture. The model is shown to produce labyrinthine patterns similar to those found in the experiment[Yamazaki and Mizuguchi, J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. \textbf{69} (2000) 2387]. Upon changing the initial granular density, resulting patterns undergo the percolation transition, but estimated critical exponents are different from those of the conventional percolation. Loopless structure of clusters in the patterns produced by the sweeping dynamics seems to influence the nature of the transition.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figure

Do Killing-Yano tensors form a Lie Algebra?

Killing-Yano tensors are natural generalizations of Killing vectors. We investigate whether Killing-Yano tensors form a graded Lie algebra with respect to the Schouten-Nijenhuis bracket. We find that this proposition does not hold in general, but that it does hold for constant curvature spacetimes. We also show that Minkowski and (anti)-deSitter spacetimes have the maximal number of Killing-Yano tensors of each rank and that the algebras of these tensors under the SN bracket are relatively simple extensions of the Poincare and (A)dS symmetry algebras.Comment: 17 page