Volume 11, Issue 2

An electrorheological fluid (ERF) (magnetorheological fluid - MRF) is a particulate suspension which shows a dramatic increase in flow resistance upon application of an external electric (magnetic) field. In both systems, the fundamental physical process is believed to be that the field induces polarization of each particle with respect to the carrier material, and the resulting interparticle forces cause elongated aggregates of particles to form in the field direction. While recent years have witnessed the appearance of several applications using these tunable flow properties, optimal use of this technology is still hindered by our incomplete understanding of the underlying mechanisms. This paper surveys our current understanding of several of the key issues governing the rheological behavior of MRF and ERF, with particular focus on recent progress made in important areas such as the behavior under high fields, sedimentation, temperature dependence, effect of wall surface conditions, and advances made in developing practical modelling strategies.

This study is attempted to demonstrate the application of rheological measurements in characterization of cosmetics products. As part of this study, several rheological tests were carried out on three common, commercially available body lotions to analyze their complex properties. The tests described in this study were simple and predictive in which the viscoelastic properties were successfully related with the end-use performance properties such as applicability, processing behavior, temperature sensitivity and storage and thermal stability.

A frequent task undertaken by quality-control personnel in typical consumer-goods factories is the measurement of the viscosity of liquid products. The problem often faced in this task is how to strike the correct balance between the complete rheological characterisation of the non-Newtonian properties of the liquid of interest – which requires expensive, sophisticated equipment and can be quite time-consuming – and the dictates of production pressures that demand, as near as possible, an instant decision, and one usually based on a single number. Here we consider the rheological issues that arise in such a debate, which is aimed at finding what adequate characterisation would require. We will investigate the implications of liquids products being non-Newtonian for two of the most commonly encountered viscometers in factory quality laboratories, i.e. the simple ‘dip-in’ rotating spindle viscometer of the Brookfield type (with its different forms and many imitations) and the more sophisticated concentric-cylinder-type device typified by the Haake Rotovisco VT 550 range. Each is capable of giving a single-number answer for viscosity, but the implications of understanding this single number are different in each case, with the dip-in viscometer being in an infinite sea of liquid and the concentric-cylinder situation being narrow gap. We also investigate when the infinite sea of the ‘dip-in’ viscometer is effectively ‘infinite’ and when is a concentric-cylinder geometry really ‘narrow gap’? We will use the power-law model throughout our discussions.