An improved population balance‐based rheological constitutive framework for polydisperse aggregating suspensions is derived by incorporating detailed models for orthokinetic and perikinetic aggregation and shear breakage processes. The framework accounts for critical properties such as dynamic arrest, viscoelasticity, kinematic hardening, thixotropy, and yield stress to generate a full range of thixotropic elasto‐viscoplastic (TEVP) response. Additionally, the model is thermodynamically consistent because the dynamics and timescales are completely determined by internal structural and kinetic variables. The model connects the rheological response to the structural descriptors such as the size distribution of agglomerates, mean sizes, fractal dimension, and agglomerate volume fraction. Predictions are compared against a wide range of shear rheology measurements data for model thixotropic suspensions of fumed silica and carbon black, including large amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS), as well as ultra‐small angle neutron scattering under steady shear (Rheo‐uSANS).
There is no universal model for thixotropy, and comparing thixotropic effects between different fluids is a subtle yet challenging problem. We introduce a generalized (model-insensitive) framework for comparing thixotropic properties based on thixotropic spectra. A superposition of exponential stress modes distributed over thixotropic time scales is used to quantify buildup and breakdown times and mode strengths in response to step-change input. This mathematical framework is tested with several experimental step-shear rate data on colloidal suspensions. Low-dimensional metrics based on moments of the distribution reveal characteristic average thixotropic properties, which are visualized on Ashby-style diagrams. This method outlines a framework for describing thixotropy across a diverse range of microstructures, supporting scientific studies as well as material selection for engineering design applications.
more » « less- Award ID(s):
- 1351342
- PAR ID:
- 10440303
- Publisher / Repository:
- Society of Rheology
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Rheology
- Volume:
- 66
- Issue:
- 5
- ISSN:
- 0148-6055
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 1041-1053
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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