Structure and Dynamics of Force Clusters and Networks in Shear Thickening Suspensions

Mohammad Nabizadeh, Abhinendra Singh, and Safa Jamali

Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 068001 – Published 2 August 2022

Abstract

Dense suspensions can exhibit shear thickening in response to large deformation. A consensus has emerged over the past few years on the formation of force networks, that span the entire system size, that lead to increased resistance to motion. Nonetheless, the characteristics of these networks are to a large extent poorly understood. Here, force networks formed in continuous and discontinuous shear thickening dense suspensions (CST and DST, respectively) are studied. We first show the evolution of the network formation and its topological heterogeneities as the applied stress increases. Subsequently, we identify force communities and coarse grain the suspension into a cluster network, and show that cluster-level dynamics are responsible for stark differences between the CST and DST behavior. Our results suggest that the force clusters formed in the DST regime are considerably more constrained in their motion, while CST clusters are loosely connected to their surrounding clusters.

Received 18 April 2022
Accepted 13 July 2022

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.068001

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Clustering Collective behavior Collective behavior in networks Degree distributions Network formation & growth Percolation Rheology

Shear thickening

NetworksPolymers & Soft MatterStatistical Physics & Thermodynamics

Authors & Affiliations

Mohammad Nabizadeh¹, Abhinendra Singh ^2,†, and Safa Jamali ^1,*

¹Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
²James Franck Institute and Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA

^*Corresponding author. s.jamali@northeastern.edu
^†Present address: Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA.