Secondary breakup of shear thickening suspension drop

To explore the effect of shear thickening behavior on the secondary deformation and breakup of cornstarch-water suspension droplets, an experimental investigation is conducted by using a high-speed camera. The experimental results demonstrate suspension droplets that exhibit discontinuous shear thickening (DST) exhibit a hardened deformation mode when they fall into the airflow field. When the droplets are in a hardened deformation mode, the windward side of the droplet deforms into a sheet, while the leeward side remains hemispherical until the droplet leaves the airflow field. The dimensionless number N is established to describe the relative magnitude of the increment of the viscous force and aerodynamic force during the secondary breakup process. Based on the suggested dimensionless number N and the Weber number We, the secondary deformation and breakup regime map of Newtonian fluids and DST suspensions is also proposed.

Automated summary

The experimental investigation shows that suspension droplets with discontinuous shear thickening exhibit a hardened deformation mode when they fall into the airflow field. A dimensionless number N is proposed to describe the relative magnitude of the increment of viscous force and aerodynamic force during the secondary breakup process. It is also suggested to use N and the Weber number We to establish a secondary deformation and breakup regime map for Newtonian fluids and DST suspensions.