J. de Vicente

Rheological study of the stabilization of magnetizable colloidal suspensions by addition of silica nanoparticles

An experimental investigation is described on the stability of magnetorheological fluids (MRFs) consisting of iron suspensions in silicone oil with a thixotropic agent (silica nanoparticles) as stabilizer. The rheological properties were investigated using a commercial rheometer with a parallel-plate measuring cell. Several kinds of experiments were performed in steady-state, oscillatory, and transient regimes. The effects of the volume fraction of magnetic particles, the concentration of silica, magnetic flux density, B, and waiting time after preshear on the rheology of the MRFs were considered. Steady-state measurements demonstrated that our systems only display plastic behavior, for which a yield stress, σy, is appreciable, for the highest iron concentrations and/or magnetic fields. The yield stress was found to be independent of the magnetic flux density when the concentration of silica particles was large enough (> ∼20 g/L). This is a manifestation of the entrapment of iron particles in the silica g...

Dynamic rheology of sphere- and rod-based magnetorheological fluids

The effect of particle shape in the small amplitude oscillatory shear behavior of magnetorheological (MR) fluids is investigated from zero magnetic field strengths up to 800 kA/m. Two types of MR fluids are studied: the first system is prepared with spherical particles and a second system is prepared with rodlike particles. Both types of particles are fabricated following practically the same precipitation technique and have the same intrinsic magnetic and crystallographic properties. Furthermore, the distribution of sphere diameters is very similar to that of rod thicknesses. Rod-based MR fluids show an enhanced MR performance under oscillatory shear in the viscoelastic linear regime. A lower magnetic field strength is needed for the structuration of the colloid and, once saturation is fully achieved, a larger storage modulus is observed. Existing sphere- and rod-based models usually underestimate experimental results regarding the magnetic field strength and particle volume fraction dependences of both storage modulus and yield stress. A simple model is proposed here to explain the behavior of microrod-based MR fluids at low, medium and saturating magnetic fields in the viscoelastic linear regime in terms of magnetic interaction forces between particles. These results are further completed with rheomicroscopic and dynamic yield stress observations.

Preparation of stable magnetorheological fluids based on extremely bimodal iron–magnetite suspensions

The high magneto-viscous response of magnetorheological fluids (MRFs) comes from the large size (≈1 μm) of the magnetic particles dispersed in the carrier liquid. Unfortunately, in the absence of a magnetic field, this large size constitutes the origin of some problems facing the technological applications of MRFs. These problems are (i) the instability of the suspensions caused by the fast settling of the high density magnetic particles used, and (ii) the poor redispersibility due to an irreversible aggregation. In this work, we used an electromagnetic induction method to study the stability of MRFs containing micron-sized iron particles dispersed in ferrofluids composed by oleate-covered magnetite nanoparticles dispersed in kerosene. Interestingly, we demonstrated that the sedimentation rate in iron/ferrofluid suspensions can be significantly lower than in iron/kerosene MRFs.

Permeability measurements in cobalt ferrite and carbonyl iron powders and suspensions

Abstract Magnetic permeability data of cobalt ferrite and carbonyl iron suspensions are discussed. Using an induction method, the relative differential permeability, μr,dif, was measured as a function of the internal magnetic field for different volume fractions of the solid phase. In the case of cobalt ferrite suspensions, the μr,dif−H curve was obtained for a first increasing ramp of magnetic field (data series “1”), a decreasing ramp (data series “2”), and the second increasing one (data series “3”). Series “1” showed a maximum in the μr,dif−H trend that did not appear in series “2” and “3”. Furthermore, the data in series “2” and “3” are always below those in series “1”. The latter behavior could be ascribed to the presence of hysteresis, and in fact it was not observed in carbonyl iron suspensions, where hysteresis is absent. The presence of the maximum in permeability is common for both types of suspensions. It is found that it only disappears if the particle motions are restricted by dispersing them in a rigid (epoxy) matrix, or if the suspensions are previously structured by applying a magnetic field to a sample prepared in an elastomer matrix. We conclude that the maxima in μr,dif−H curves are associated to the motion or orientation of the dispersed particles during application of the first field ramp. The comparison with predictions of models allows to deduce some quantitative information on the structures formed by the particles.

Nonlinear viscoelasticity and two-step yielding in magnetorheology: A colloidal gel approach to understand the effect of particle concentration

The yielding behavior of conventional magnetorheological (MR) fluids is revisited for a wide range of magnetic fields and particle concentrations under a colloidal gel perspective. A two-step yielding behavior is found at intermediate magnetic fields (∼10 kA/m) that can be explained as a transition from a strong-link to a weak-link (or transition) regime upon increasing the particle concentration in the MR fluid. This two-step yielding behavior is reminiscent of the classical concepts of static (frictional) and dynamic (Bingham) yield stress. By relating macroscopic elastic properties to a scaling fractal model, we could identify the prevalent gelation regime in MR fluids.

Normal force study in concentrated carbonyl iron magnetorheological suspensions

The yield behavior of concentrated carbonyl iron magnetorheological fluids (MRF) is investigated measuring the normal force during shear flow in a plate–plate controlled-stress rheometer. For high enough external magnetic fields, a positive normal force is obtained below the yield point. This result is not explained using affine deformation chain models. However, the assumption of gapspanning particle chains and spheroidal aggregates of spheres predicts not only a positive normal force but also a maximum if we plot the normal force as a function of the strain, a result also found experimentally. The field dependence of the normal force suggests the existence of a threshold field, likely associated to the formation of gapspanning structures in the MRF. Another possible explanation for the maximum in the normal force lies on the phase transition from homogeneous to layered structures with cylindrical symmetry in the suspension. Steady-state and oscillometry studies show that the maximum in the normal force ...

Rolling and sliding friction in compliant, lubricated contact

Abstract Friction is investigated in a rolling-sliding, lubricated, steel ball on elastomer flat contact. Two different types of friction are identified: rolling friction, which results from the movement of the surfaces relative to the contact, and sliding or interfacial friction, which arises from relative motion of the two contacting surfaces. A novel experimental technique is described to measure these two types of friction simultaneously in a single test. This enables separate rolling and interfacial ‘Stribeck-type’ friction curves to be produced for Newtonian lubricants. These curves are compared with theoretical predictions of friction. The results show that rolling friction originates primarily from two sources: Poiseuille flow of lubricant in the contact and elastic hysteresis. There are also two main types of interfacial friction; due to Couette flow and solid surface adhesion. For compliant elastomer-on-steel contacts, rolling friction forms a significant proportion of the total friction even at quite high slide-roll ratios.

Steady shear magnetorheology of inverse ferrofluids

Silica-based inverse ferrofluids (IFFs) are synthesized and their pre-yield and post-yield rheological properties are investigated as a function of magnetic field strength (8.8–276 kA/m), volume fraction (12.6–26.1 vol %), silica particle size (104–378 nm radius), and ferrofluid Newtonian viscosity (44–559 mPa s). The Mason number (Mn) provides a good scaling of the data in the steady simple shear flow regime. Special emphasis is made on the low and moderate Mason number region. At low Mn values, two different behaviors are observed depending on the IFF formulation and magnetic field strength applied: (i) either the viscosity monotonically increases with decreasing shear rate suggesting the existence of a yield stress (ii) or a low-shear plateau is reached. At medium Mn values, a power law behavior is found η/η∞∝MnΔ with −1<Δ<−2/3. Yielding behavior is modeled by using both macroscopic and microscopic approaches under the assumption of spheroidal, cylindrical, and single-width particle chain models.

Effect of humic acid adsorption on the rheological properties of sodium montmorillonite suspensions

In this work we analyze the rheological behavior of Na-montmorillonite (NaMt) suspensions in the presence of humic acid. The analysis starts from the fact that the electric charges on plate and edge surfaces of clay particles largely determine the formation of three-dimensional structures in suspensions. Zeta potential data of NaMt as a function of humic acid (HA) concentration suggest that its adsorption takes place preferentially on the edges of the particles. A good correlation between the parameters describing the viscosity-shear rate or viscosity-shear stress dependencies and the product of the ζ potentials of edges and faces, ζedge×ζface, is demonstrated. It indicates that the rheological behavior of NaMt suspensions is largely controlled by electrostatic interactions. Adsorption of HA also changes the viscoelastic properties of the suspensions significantly as determined by both oscillometric and creep-recovery tests. A trend of NaMt suspensions from approximately solid like when no HA is adsorbed,...

Setting up High Gradient Magnetic Separation for combating eutrophication of inland waters.

To find new approaches to devise technologies for handling with eutrophication of inland waters is a global challenge. Separation of the P from water under conditions of continuous flow is proposed as an alternative and effective method. This work is based on using highly magnetic particles as the seeding adsorbent material and their later removal from solution by High Gradient Magnetic Separation (HGMS). Contrast to other methods based on batch conditions, large volumes of water can be easily handled by HGMS because of decreasing retention times. This study identifies the best working conditions for removing P from solution by investigating the effects of a set of four different experimental variables: sonication time, flow rate (as it determines the retention time of particles in the magnetic field), magnetic field strength and the iron (Fe) particles/P concentration ratio. Additionally, the change of P removal efficiency with time (build up effect) and the possibility of reusing magnetic particles were also studied. Our results evidenced that while flow rate does not significantly affect P removal efficiency in the range 0.08-0.36 mL s(-1), sonication time, magnetic field strength and the Fe particles/P concentration ratio are the main factors controlling magnetic separation process.