Rheology of concentrated suspensions of deformable elastic particles such as human erythrocytes.
New models for the viscosity of concentrated suspensions of deformable elastic particles are developed using the differential effective medium approach (DEMA). The models are capable of describing the rheological behavior of un-aggregated suspensions of human red blood cells (RBCs). With the increase in shear rate, a shear-thinning behavior is predicted similar to that observed in the case of un-aggregated suspensions of RBCs. A decrease in relative viscosity and an enhancement of shear-thinning behavior is predicted when either the particle rigidity (elastic modulus) is decreased or the continuous medium viscosity is increased. These predictions are similar to those observed in suspensions of human RBCs. The proposed models are evaluated using experimental data on normal and hardened human RBC suspensions in protein-free saline.
Pal
Rajinder
R
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ont., Canada N2L 3G1. rpal@engmail.uwaterloo.ca
D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D001809:Blood Viscosity / Q000502:physiology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004548:Elasticity; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D006400:Hematocrit / Q000379:methods*; D018056:Hemorheology / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D009038:Motion; D010316:Particle Size; D033081:Shear Strength