Shear thinning

Classification of fluids with shear stress as a function of shear rate: Pseudoplastic, Bingham plastic and Bingham pseudoplastic all show reduction in apparent viscosity with increasing shear rate.

In rheology, shear thinning is the non-Newtonian behavior of fluids whose viscosity decreases under shear strain. It is sometimes considered synonymous for pseudo-plastic behaviour,[1][2] and is usually defined as excluding time-dependent effects, such as thixotropy.[3]

Shear thinning is the most common type of non-Newtonian behavior of fluids and is seen in many industrial and everyday applications.[4] Although shear thinning is generally not observed in pure liquids with low molecular mass or ideal solutions of small molecules like sucrose or sodium chloride, it is often observed in polymer solutions and molten polymers, as well as complex fluids and suspensions like ketchup, whipped cream, blood,[5] paint, and nail polish.

  1. ^ Mezger, Thomas G. (2006). The rheology handbook : for users of rotational and oscillatory rheometers (2., rev. ed.). Hannover: Vincentz Network. p. 34. ISBN 9783878701743.
  2. ^ Heldman, R. Paul Singh, Dennis R. (2013). Introduction to food engineering (5th ed.). Amsterdam: Elsevier. p. 160. ISBN 9780124016750.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Bair, Scott (2007). High-pressure rheology for quantitative elastohydrodynamics (1st ed.). Amsterdam: Elsevier. p. 136. ISBN 9780080475301. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  4. ^ Malvern Instruments Worldwide. "A Basic Introduction to Rheology" (PDF). Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  5. ^ Tazraei, P.; Riasi, A.; Takabi, B. (2015). "The influence of the non-Newtonian properties of blood on blood-hammer through the posterior cerebral artery". Mathematical Biosciences. 264: 119–127. doi:10.1016/j.mbs.2015.03.013. PMID 25865933.