Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 17, 2026

Challenges in Rheological Characterization of Highly Concentrated Suspensions — A Case Study for Screen-printing Silver Pastes
Published on: April 10, 2017
Force and Mass Dynamics in Non-Newtonian Suspensions
Melody X Lim1, Jonathan Barés1, Hu Zheng1
1Department of Physics & Center for Nonlinear and Complex Systems, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA.
Impacts on dense cornstarch suspensions create shock waves. These solidification events depend on impact speed and suspension density, revealing complex responses to force.
Area of Science:
- Rheology
- Granular physics
- Non-Newtonian fluids
Background:
- Dense granular suspensions exhibit non-Newtonian behavior, such as impact-activated solidification.
- Solidification is hypothesized to depend on boundary interactions, but quantitative data are lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively investigate boundary forces during impact in cornstarch suspensions.
- To correlate impactor dynamics with internal suspension events and boundary responses.
Main Methods:
- High-speed video analysis of intruder impact.
- Use of tracer particles to observe suspension dynamics.
- Employing photoelastic boundaries to measure forces.
Main Results:
- Observed mass shocks within the suspension, correlated with intruder motion.
- Identified a faster second front related to pressure wave propagation.
- Shock and pressure wave dynamics showed distinct dependencies on impactor speed and suspension packing fraction.
Conclusions:
- Impacts generate distinct shock and pressure waves in cornstarch suspensions.
- The pressure wave speed is significantly slower than ultrasonic speeds, indicating complex material response.
- Findings highlight the role of boundary interactions in impact-activated solidification.
More Related Videos
10:28Experimental Measurement of Settling Velocity of Spherical Particles in Unconfined and Confined Surfactant-based Shear Thinning Viscoelastic Fluids
Published on: January 3, 2014
11:03An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
Published on: December 4, 2017
Related Concept Videos
Newtonian Fluid: Problem Solving
A velocity gradient forms within the fluid when a Newtonian fluid is placed between two parallel plates, with...
First Law: Particles in Two-dimensional Equilibrium
Newton's first law tells us about...
First Law: Particles in One-dimensional Equilibrium
Euler's Equations of Motion
Stokes' Law
The expression for the force on a solid spherical object in a fluid is called Stokes' law. Stokes' law is valid only...
Navier–Stokes Equations