The Essential Role of Frictional Contact in Shear Thickening

Abstract

e z ^ z Y T ] Te dŠ„ | W S ^&z ] T_ | X ` fX | d g yX d Ø x  f â } Abstract In a recent article (R. Seto, R. Mari, J. F. Morris, and M. M. Denn, Phys. Rev. Lett., 111:218301, 2013) we found frictional contact forces to be essential for reproducing the shear thickening behavior of non-Brownian suspensions. Although the introduction of frictional contact to a Stokesian Dynamics simulation is speculative and requires the existence of particle-particle contact despite fluid lubrication, the simulation results are in good agreement with experimental data. The model also provides physical insight into the relation between shear thickening and a jamming transition. This article describes the transition from a fluid mechanics perspective to a granular physics perspective.