Shear-induced particle migration in Couette and parallel-plate viscometers: NMR imaging and stress measurements

Abstract

Couette and parallel plate viscometers are two commonly used flow geometries to characterize shear viscosity of concentrated suspensions. In Couette flow, it is well documented that prolonged shearing causes a decrease in the apparent viscosity of concentrated suspensions due to shear-induced particle migration from the annulus region to the stagnant region under the bob. In this study, the technique of nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI) was used to measure the evolution of suspension concentration profiles in Couette and parallel-plate flow devices upon shearing. Neutrally buoyant suspensions of nearly monodisperse, non-Brownian spherical particles at a volume fraction of 0.5 in a Newtonian fluid were used. The same flow cells and suspensions were also used in a rheometer to measure the changes in shear stress under identical experimental conditions such that a direct comparison can be made between the stress and concentration data. For Couette flow, the NMRI data correlated very well with the stress measurements and directly confirmed the Leighton–Acrivos [J. Fluid. Mech. 181, 415 (1987)] shear-induced migration theory. In torsional flow between parallel plates, no detectable change was found in particle concentration in the radial direction, but some decrease in the apparent viscosity was observed. These results provide some important clues for developing and evaluating more general descriptions of particle migration for nonrectilinear shear flows.