arXiv subjects

Meng-Fei Hu

Publications and source records attributed to Meng-Fei Hu.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Boundary compliance selects heterogeneous dynamics in shear-thickening suspensions

The mechanical properties of confining boundaries can fundamentally alter the flow behaviour of shear-thickening suspensions. We study a dense cornstarch suspension sheared beneath a viscous silicone-oil layer, using the oil viscosity to tune boundary compliance. Flow visualisation and rheometry reveal two distinct regimes. With compliant boundaries, long-lived heterogeneities emerge via density waves or persistent clusters, maintained by a balance between interface deformation and particle rearrangement. With more resistant confinement, we observe transient jamming events, marked by abrupt spanning of load-bearing structures across the suspension thickness and the emergence of secondary stress waves. The onset stress of these events remains constant at the DST threshold, independent of bounding viscosity. Our results reveal that boundary compliance selects the lifetime and morphology of heterogeneous structures, offering a means to amplify otherwise short-lived microscopic processes and providing new insight into the interplay between shear thickening, shear jamming, and confinement mechanics.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2024

Boundary conditions alter density and stress fluctuations in shear-thickening suspensions

Discontinuous shear thickening (DST) in dense suspensions is accompanied by significant fluctuations in stress at a fixed shear rate. In this work, normal stress fluctuations are shown to have a one-to-one relationship with the formation and dissolution of local high-density regions. Namely, a burst in the force response corresponds to the spontaneous appearance of inhomogeneity. We observe that boundary conditions can significantly alter the spatiotemporal scale of these fluctuations, from short-lived to more sustained and enduring patterns. We estimate the occurrence frequency R and the average intensity Q of individual bursts/inhomogeneity events. The growth of R with the shear rate is the most rapid for the rigid boundary, whereas Q is nonmonotonic with confinement stiffness. Our results indicate that boundary conditions alter the development of inhomogeneity and thus the stress response under shear.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2024

Emergence of a hexagonal pattern in shear-thickening suspensions under orbital oscillations

Dense particle suspension under shear may lose its uniform state to large local density and stress fluctuations, which challenge the mean-field description of the system. Here, we explore the novel dynamics of a non-Brownian suspension under orbital oscillations, where localized density waves along the flow direction appear beyond an excitation frequency threshold and self-organize into a hexagonal pattern across the system. The spontaneous occurrence of the inhomogeneity pattern arises from a coupling between particle advection and the shear-thickening nature of the suspension. Through linear stability analysis, we show that they overcome the stabilizing effects of particle pressure at sufficient particle volume fraction and oscillation frequency. In addition, the long-standing density waves degenerate into random fluctuations when replacing the free surface with rigid confinement. It indicates that the shear-thickened state is intrinsically heterogeneous, and the boundary conditions are crucial for developing local disturbance.

cond-mat.soft↗