title: Structuring sedimentation in a shear-thinning fluid.
abstract: We study the sedimentation of suspensions of monodisperse non-Brownian particles in a shear-thinning polymeric fluid. We observe the formation of particle-rich structures and show that they are associated with a well-defined flow pattern. The results suggest that the observed structuring is a consequence of particle aggregation that amplifies concentration heterogeneities, the flow pattern being further driven by a gravitational instability.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire FAST, Bâtiment 502, Campus Universitaire, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mora
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Talini
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Allain