title: Microscopic mechanism for shear thickening of non-Brownian suspensions.
abstract: We propose a simple model, supported by contact-dynamics simulations as well as rheology and friction measurements, that links the transition from continuous to discontinuous shear thickening in dense granular pastes to distinct lubrication regimes in the particle contacts. We identify a local Sommerfeld number that determines the transition from Newtonian to shear-thickening flows, and then show that the suspension's volume fraction and the boundary lubrication friction coefficient control the nature of the shear-thickening transition, both in simulations and experiments.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Surface Science and Technology, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fernandez
authors.affiliation: Computational Physics for Engineering Materials, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Roman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mani
authors.affiliation: Lafarge LCR, 38070 Saint Quentin-Fallavier, France.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rinaldi
authors.affiliation: Computational Physics for Engineering Materials, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kadau
authors.affiliation: Lafarge LCR, 38070 Saint Quentin-Fallavier, France.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mosquet
authors.affiliation: Lafarge LCR, 38070 Saint Quentin-Fallavier, France.
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lombois-Burger
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Tribologie et Dynamique des Systèmes-UMR 5513 CNRS, École Centrale de Lyon, 69130 Écully, France.
authors.forename: Juliette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cayer-Barrioz
authors.affiliation: Computational Physics for Engineering Materials, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Hans J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Herrmann
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Surface Science and Technology, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Nicholas D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Surface Science and Technology, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Lucio
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Isa