Fundamentals of Rheology

Abstract

Some important fundamental aspects of fluid mechanics and rheology are discussed. First, we examine the basis for the continuum approximation of fluids, and the formulation of equations in the continuum description. Then, we look at stress-strain rate relationships for simple shear flows of both viscous and viscoelastic fluids. The extension of the description to complex flows, which involves the decomposition of the rate of deformation tensor into fundamental components, is discussed. The conservation laws for mass and momentum, and the constitutive relations in the momentum conservation equation are derived. The simple Maxwell model for polymeric fluids, which uses the bead-spring representation of the polymer chain, is discussed.