Discontinuous shear thickening (DST) is associated with a sharp rise in a suspension’s viscosity with increasing applied shear rate or stress. Key signatures of DST, highlighted in recent studies, are the very large fluctuations of the measured stress as the suspension thickens with increasing rate. A clear link between microstructural development and the dramatic increase in stress fluctuations has not been established yet. To identify the microstructural underpinnings of this behavior, we perform simulations of sheared dense suspensions. Through an analysis of the particle contact network, we identify a subset of constrained particles that contributes directly to the rapid rise in viscosity and large stress fluctuations. Indeed, both phenomena can be explained by the growth and percolation of constrained particle networks—in direct analogy to rigidity percolation. A finite size scaling analysis confirms this to be a percolation phenomenon and allows us to estimate the critical exponents. Our findings reveal the specific microstructural self-organization transition that underlies DST.
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Flow induced rigidity percolation in shear thickening suspensions
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March 2024
Research Article|
February 05 2024
Flow induced rigidity percolation in shear thickening suspensions
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Abhay Goyal
;
Abhay Goyal
1
Infrastructure Materials Group, Engineering Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology
, Gaithersburg, MD, 208992Dept of Physics,
Institute of Soft Matter Synthesis and Metrology, Georgetown University
, Washington DC 20057
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Nicos S. Martys;
Nicos S. Martys
1
Infrastructure Materials Group, Engineering Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology
, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899
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Emanuela Del Gado
Emanuela Del Gado
a)
2Dept of Physics,
Institute of Soft Matter Synthesis and Metrology, Georgetown University
, Washington DC 20057a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; electronic mail: [email protected]
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Abhay Goyal
1,2
Nicos S. Martys
1
Emanuela Del Gado
2,a)
1
Infrastructure Materials Group, Engineering Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology
, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899
2
Dept of Physics,
Institute of Soft Matter Synthesis and Metrology, Georgetown University
, Washington DC 20057
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; electronic mail: [email protected]
J. Rheol. 68, 219–228 (2024)
Article history
Received:
November 03 2023
Accepted:
January 13 2024
Citation
Abhay Goyal, Nicos S. Martys, Emanuela Del Gado; Flow induced rigidity percolation in shear thickening suspensions. J. Rheol. 1 March 2024; 68 (2): 219–228. https://doi.org/10.1122/8.0000786
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