Kinetics of dispersion for sparse agglomerates in simple shear flows: Application to silica agglomerates in silicone polymers

Dispersion of sparse (low solids content) agglomerates by hydrodynamic shear is addressed both experimentally and theoretically. A model for the kinetics of the erosion of homogeneous sparse agglomerates is developed. Experiments carried out using agglomerates of silica and poly(dimethyl siloxane) fluids demonstrated the validity of the kinetic model. For this experimental system, the infiltration of the suspending fluid into the agglomerate significantly affects the mechanism and kinetic rates of dispersion as well as the fragment size distribution. Agglomerates that were soaked in processing fluid for extended periods of time were found to better resist dispersion than dry agglomerates or agglomerates soaked for short periods of time. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd