Rheologica Acta, Vol.49, No.11-12, 1157-1163, 2010
Shear-thickening behavior of polymethylmethacrylate particles suspensions in glycerine-water mixtures
The rheological behavior of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) particles suspensions in glycerine-water mixtures has been investigated by means of steady and dynamic rheometry in this work. The shear rheology of these suspensions demonstrates a strong shear thickening behavior. The variations of shear viscosity with the volume fraction and ratios of glycerine to water are discussed. The effect of volume fraction can be qualitatively explained using a clustering mechanism, which attributes the phenomena to the formation of temporary, hydrodynamic clusters. The influence of interactions between glycerine-water mixtures and PMMA particles on shear thickening is investigated by varying the ratio of glycerine to water. In addition, the reversible and thixotropic properties of suspensions of PMMA dispersed in glycerine-water (3:1) mixtures are also investigated, and the results demonstrate the excellent reversible and thixotropic properties of PMMA particle suspensions.
Keywords:Shear thickening fluid (STF);Reversibility;Thixotropy;Glycerine-water mixtures;Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)