EFFECTS OF SHEAR ON THE PHASE-TRANSITION OF BINARY-MIXTURES

A simulation has been performed to study the effects of shear on the critical properties of a binary mixture by using a simple model of a shear flow. In this model, there are no velocity fluctuations and effects of hydrodynamic interactions of the composition fluctuations are neglected. It is found that critical fluctuations are strongly suppressed by the shear flow and the critical temperature T, is raised with the critical exponent p estimated to be closer to the mean-field value. Furthermore, the simulation shows that phase separation under shear takes place in the form of strips parallel to the direction of the flow as predicted by theories. The possibility of a dimensional reduction is discussed. © 1990 The Japan Society of Applied Physics.