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Updated: Jul 2, 2025

Fast Imaging Technique to Study Drop Impact Dynamics of Non-Newtonian Fluids
Published on: March 5, 2014
Optimizing non-Newtonian fluids for impact protection of laminates
James A Richards1, Daniel J M Hodgson1, Rory E O'Neill1
1Edinburgh Complex Fluids Partnership, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Non-Newtonian fluids can be used for the protection of flexible laminates. Understanding the coupling between the flow of the protecting fluid and the deformation of the protected solids is necessary in order to optimize this functionality. We present a scaling analysis of the problem based on a single coupling variable, the effective width of a squeeze flow between flat rigid plates, and predict that impact protection for laminates is optimized by using shear-thinning, and not shear-thickening, fluids. The prediction is verified experimentally by measuring the velocity and pressure in impact experiments. Our scaling analysis should be generically applicable for non-Newtonian fluid-solid interactions in diverse applications.
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