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Inertia-Dilatancy Interplay Governs Shear Thickening Drop Impact
Anahita Mobaseri1, Leonardo Gordillo2, Charles Burton3
1University of Minnesota, Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|April 25, 2026
Summary
Shear-thickening fluids like cornstarch-water mixtures exhibit complex drop impact behaviors. A new study reveals three impact regimes, including a surprising liquid-to-solid transition during impact.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Rheology
- Fluid Dynamics
Background:
- Shear-thickening fluids exhibit a viscosity increase with higher shear rates.
- Understanding complex fluid behavior under dynamic conditions is crucial for various scientific and industrial applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact dynamics of cornstarch-water mixtures, a common shear-thickening fluid.
- To identify and characterize distinct impact regimes for these fluids.
- To develop a unified model for predicting shear-thickening drop impact behavior.
Main Methods:
- High-speed photography was employed to capture drop impact events.
- Direct force measurements were used to quantify impact forces.
- A unified model integrating classic drop-impact theory and the Reynolds-Darcy mechanism was developed.
Main Results:
- Three distinct impact regimes were identified for cornstarch-water mixture drops.
- A novel regime was discovered where high-concentration mixtures initially behave like liquids before transitioning to solid-like behavior.
- The developed model quantitatively describes impact dynamics across all observed regimes.
Conclusions:
- The study reveals unexpected responses of shear-thickening fluids to ultrafast deformation.
- A comprehensive understanding of drop impact for complex fluids has been advanced.
- The findings provide a unified framework for analyzing shear-thickening fluid dynamics.
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