Abstract
Colloidal suspensions in industrial processes often exhibit shear thickening that is difficult to control actively. Here, we use piezoelectric transducers to apply acoustic perturbations to dynamically tune the suspension viscosity in the shear-thickening regime. We attribute the mechanism of dethickening to the disruption of shear-induced force chains via perturbations that are large relative to the particle roughness scale. The ease with which this technique can be adapted to various flow geometries makes it a powerful tool for actively controlling suspension flow properties and investigating system dynamics.
- Received 16 May 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.123.128001
© 2019 American Physical Society
Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)
Synopsis
Softening Tones Make Shear-Thickening Fluids Relax
Published 17 September 2019
An acoustic signal can control the viscosity in shear-thickening materials, which have potential uses as impact absorbers.
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