Skip to main content
Log in

Thixotropy and shear thinning of lubricated contacts with confined membranes

  • Regular Article
  • Published:
The European Physical Journal E Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract.

We have modeled the nonlinear dynamics and the rheological behavior of a system under shear containing a membrane confined between two attractive walls. The presence of the membrane induces additional tangential forces on the walls that always increase the global friction. At low shear rates, the membrane exhibits chaotic dynamics with slow coarsening leading to thixotropy, i.e. to a slow decrease of the membrane-induced tangential forces on the walls. At intermediate shear rates, the membrane profile presents stationary periodic patterns. At higher shear rates, membrane dynamics are governed by a nonlinear evolution equation which is similar to the Kuramoto-Sivashinski equation, but with a sixth-order stabilizing term. The membrane experiences chaotic dynamics without coarsening. As a consequence of the nonlinear dynamics of the membrane at intermediate and large shear rates, the system exhibits shear thinning.

Graphical abstract

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. A. Erdemir, Tribol. Int. 38, 249 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. B. Persson, Sliding Friction (Springer, 2000)

  3. C. McCutchen, Fed. Proc. 25, 1061 (1966)

    Google Scholar 

  4. D. Swann, K. Bloch, D. Swindell, E. Shore, Arthritis Rheum. 27, 552 (1984)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. R. Tadmor, N. Chen, J.N. Israelachvili, J. Biomed. Mater. Res. 61, 514 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. U. Raviv, S. Giasson, N. Kampf, J.F. Gohy, R. Jérôme, J. Klein, Nature 425, 163 (2003)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. T.A. Schmidt, N.S. Gastelum, Q.T. Nguyen, B.L. Schumacher, R.L. Sah, Arthritis Rheum. 56, 882 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. W.H. Briscoe, S. Titmuss, F. Tiberg, R.K. Thomas, D.J. McGillivray, J. Klein, Nature 444, 191 (2006)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. S. Leroy, A. Steinberger, C. Cottin-Bizonne, A.M. Trunfio-Sfarghiu, E. Charlaix, Soft Matter 5, 4997 (2009)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. A.M. Trunfio-Sfarghiu, Y. Berthier, M.H. Meurisse, J.P. Rieu, Langmuir 24, 8765 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. D.G.A.L. Aarts, M. Schmidt, H.N.W. Lekkerkerker, Science 304, 847 (2004)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. M. Thiébaud, T. Bickel, Phys. Rev. E 81, 031602 (2010)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. S.W. Marlow, P.D. Olmsted, Phys. Rev. E 66, 061706 (2002)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  14. T. Le Goff, P. Politi, O. Pierre-Louis, Phys. Rev. E 90, 032114 (2014)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. T. Le Goff, P. Politi, O. Pierre-Louis, Phys. Rev. E 92, 022918 (2015)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  16. P.S. Swain, D. Andelman, Phys. Rev. E 63, 051911 (2001)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  17. J. Daillant, E. Bellet-Amalric, A. Braslau, T. Charitat, G. Fragneto, F. Graner, S. Mora, F. Rieutord, B. Stidder, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 102, 11639 (2005)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. J.N. Israelachvili (Editor), Intermolecular and Surface Forces, third edition (Academic Press, San Diego, 2011) ISBN 978-0-12-375182-9

  19. R. Bruinsma, A. Behrisch, E. Sackmann, Phys. Rev. E 61, 4253 (2000)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. K. Sengupta, L. Limozin, Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 088101 (2010)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  21. M. Asfaw, B. Rycki, R. Lipowsky, T.R. Weikl, Europhys. Lett. 76, 703 (2006)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  22. T.J. Müller, F. Müller-Plathe, ChemPhysChem 10, 2305 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. A. Boan, L. Joly, N. Fillot, C. Loison, Langmuir 31, 12197 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. A. Oron, S.H. Davis, S.G. Bankoff, Rev. Mod. Phys. 69, 931 (1997)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  25. C. Misbah, O. Pierre-Louis, Phys. Rev. E 53, R4318 (1996)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  26. C.L. Emmott, A.J. Bray, Phys. Rev. E 54, 4568 (1996)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  27. M. Nicoli, R. Cuerno, M. Castro, J. Stat. Mech.: Theory Exp. 2011, P10030 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Olivier Pierre-Louis.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Le Goff, T., To, T.B.T. & Pierre-Louis, O. Thixotropy and shear thinning of lubricated contacts with confined membranes. Eur. Phys. J. E 40, 44 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2017-11532-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2017-11532-6

Keywords

Navigation