Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Viscosity of concentrated suspensions of spheres

  • Original Contributions
  • Published:
Rheologica Acta Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Difficulties associated with the viscosity measurement of concentrated suspensions of particulate solids in a liquid solvent can effectively be overcome with the falling needle technique reported here. The comparison of the settling (terminal) velocity of a given needle in a Newtonian solvent, with its terminal velocity in a suspension, yields the suspension viscosity ratio directly. The van den Brule and Jongschaap constitutive model describes our high concentration data best. Falling sphere data (diameter of sphere/diameter of suspended particle ≈ 10) agree well with the falling needle data over the whole range (up to 40%) of solids concentrations used in our tests.

In the opaque suspensions used, the passage of sedimenting needles and spheres was initially observed radiographically. Later tests used a more convenient technique using an inductance coil particle detector driven by a Colpitts oscillator.

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

Access this article

Log in via an institution

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

  • Acrivos A, Jeffrey DJ, Gadala-Maria F, Herbolzheimer E (1979) The theology of concentrated suspensions and their settling characteristics in vessels having inclined walls. EPRI report AF-1085

  • Adler PM, Nadim A, Brenner H (1990) Rheological models of suspensions. In: Wei J (ed) Advances in chemical engineering 15:1–72

  • Batchelor GK, Green JT (1972) The determination of the bulk stress in a suspension of spherical particles to order c2. J Fluid Mech 56(3):401–427

    Google Scholar 

  • Beenakker CWJ, Mazur P (1985) Diffusion of spheres in a concentrated suspension II. Physica A 126:349–370

    Google Scholar 

  • Brenner H (1972) Suspension theology. In: Schowalter WR (ed) Prog in heat and mass transfer. Pergamon Press 5:89–129

  • Chang C, Powell R (1993) Dynamic simulation of bimodal suspensions of hydrodynamically interacting spherical particles. J Fluid Mech 253:1–25

    Google Scholar 

  • Cho K, Cho YI, Park NA (1992) Hydrodynamics of vertically falling thin cylinder in Non-Newtonian fluids. J Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech 45:105–145

    Google Scholar 

  • De Kruif CG, van Iersel EMF, Vrij A (1985) Hard sphere colloidal dispersions: Viscosity as a function of shear rate and volume fraction. J Chem Phys 83(9):4717–4725

    Google Scholar 

  • Frankel NA, Acrivos A (1967) On the viscosity of a concentrated suspensions of solid spheres. Chem Eng Sci 22:847–853

    Google Scholar 

  • Frish HL, Simha R (1956) The viscosity of colloidal suspensions and macromolecular solutions. In: Eirich FR, Rheology theory and applications. Chapter 14, Vol 1. Academic Press 525–612

  • Gadala-Maria F, Acrivos A (1980) Shear induced structure in a concentrated suspension of solid spheres. J of Rheol 24(6):799–814

    Google Scholar 

  • Happel J, Brenner H (1986) Low reynolds number hydrodynamics. Martinus Nijhoff, Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • Hinch EJ, Leal LG (1975) Constitutive equations in suspensions mechanics. Part 1. General formulation. J Fluid Mech 71(3):481–495

    Google Scholar 

  • Kataoka T, Kitano T, Sasahara M, Nishijima K (1978) Viscosity of particle filled polymer melts. Rheol Acta 17:149–155

    Google Scholar 

  • Krieger IM (1972) Rheology of monodisperse latices. Advan Colloid Interface Sci 3:111–136

    Google Scholar 

  • Levy T, Sanchez-Palencia E (1983) Suspension of solid particles in a Newtonian fluid. J of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech 13:63–78

    Google Scholar 

  • Metzner AB (1985) Rheology of suspensions in polymeric liquids. J of Rheology 29(6):739–775

    Google Scholar 

  • Mondy LA, Graham AL, Jensen JL (1986) Continuum approximations and particle interactions in concentrated suspensions. J of Rheology 30(5):1031–1051

    Google Scholar 

  • Nunan KC, Keller JB (1984) Effective viscosity of a periodic suspension. J Fluid Mech 142:269–287

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillips RJ, Armstrong RC, Brown RA, Graham AL, Abbott JR (1992) A constitutive equation for concentated suspensions that accounts for shear-induced particle migration. Phys Fluids A 4(1):30–40

    Google Scholar 

  • Rutgers IR (1962) Relative viscosity of suspensions of rigid spheres in Newtonian liquids. Rheol Acta 2(3):202–210

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas DG (1965) Transport characteristics of suspension: VIII. A note on the viscosity of Newtonian suspensions of uniform spherical particles. J of Colloid Sci 20:267–277

    Google Scholar 

  • Van den Brule BHAA, Jongschaap RJJ (1991) Modeling of concentrated suspensions. J of Stat Phys 62(5/6):1225–1237

    Google Scholar 

  • Zheng R, Phan-Tien N, Ilic V (1994) Falling needle rheometry for general viscoelastic fluids. To be published in the ASME J Fluids Eng

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia

    V. Ilic & N. Phan-Thien

Authors
  1. V. Ilic
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. N. Phan-Thien
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ilic, V., Phan-Thien, N. Viscosity of concentrated suspensions of spheres. Rheola Acta 33, 283–291 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00366954

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00366954

Key words

Search

Navigation