Primary breakup of shear-thickening suspension jet by an annular air jet

An experimental investigation is conducted to study the influence of shear-thickening behavior on the primary breakup process of suspension jets. The primary breakup morphologies of cornstarch-water suspension are observed via a high-speed camera. The unique hardened breakup mode only occurs when the suspension exhibits discontinuous shear thickening (DST). During hardened breakup mode, the oscillating portion of the suspension jet becomes perpendicular to the air direction and keeps cylindrical instead of deforming into a thin sheet or membrane structure. The suspension jets break off into large pieces rather than tiny droplets. The dimensionless number N is established to describe the relative magnitude of the increment of the viscous force and aerodynamic force during the primary breakup process. The primary breakup regime map of Newtonian fluids and shear-thickening suspensions is also promoted based on the dimensionless number N and the Weber number We.

Automated summary

This study experimentally investigates the influence of shear-thickening behavior on the primary breakup process of suspension jets. The primary breakup morphologies of a cornstarch-water suspension are observed, and a unique hardened breakup mode is observed when the suspension exhibits discontinuous shear thickening. The study also establishes a dimensionless number N and promotes the primary breakup regime map based on N and the Weber number We.