SCALING CONCEPTS IN SUSPENSION RHEOLOGY

This is a phenomenologial study on the effect of the temporary and permanent interparticle aggregation on the viscosity of monodisperse and agglomerated suspensions. Aggregation contributes to fluid entrapment between solid particles and thus increases the effective participation of the rigid phase in the composite fluid. Methods are developed to relate the extent of this phenomenon with the concentration of solids and the degree of agglomeration. These results are incorporated in a modified Brinkman-Roscoe constitutive expression, for the prediction of the viscosity variation in the Newtonian regime. The calculated values are compared with the experimental evidence as reported in the literature. © 1990, The Society of Rheology. All rights reserved.