Structuring sedimentation in a shear-thinning fluid.
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.
Mora
S
S
Laboratoire FAST, Bâtiment 502, Campus Universitaire, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France.
Talini
L
L
Allain
C
C