Rheology of Suspensions in Polymeric Liquids

Abstract

This paper reviews the flow behavior of concentrated suspensions as may be of interest in the processing of composites and similar polymeric materials. Succinct synopses are arranged at the end of each section. In general, the state of the art is a good one: a small number of experiments on a new formulation frequently suffice for a general prediction of flow behavior when solids are suspended in viscous molten polymers, and in many instances, even a priori predictions of the viscosity are possible. Less viscous systems are much more difficult; several remaining problems and research areas are identified.