a7

Journal of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics, 3 (1977/1978)

87-91
0 Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Amsterdam - Printed in The Netherlands

Short Communication
A HIGHLY ELASTIC CONSTANT-VISCOSITY

FLUID

D.V. BOGER *
Department
(U.S.A.)

of Chemical Engineering,

University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19 711

(Received December 1, 1976)

Introduction
A considerable gap exists between those who use constitutive equations
for non-Newtoni~ fluids with the general flow equations in an attempt to
solve realistic boundary value problems and those who are concerned with
the experimental observation of the kinematics of these flows. One of the
reasons for this gap is that when the constitutive equation is simple enough
for solution of the boundary value problem, no material of ideal enough
properties is available for experimental verification of the predicted kinematics. Another problem is that most of the experimental work done on the
kinematics of non-viscometric flows has been carried out with shear thinning
polymer solutions, where a high Reynolds number flow (Re > 1) usually
must be used to generate significant elasticity in the flow field. In this class
of experiment it has been difficult to differentiate between shear-thinning,
elastic, and inertial effects.
An ideal fluid from the viewpoint of the expe~men~ist is a constantviscosity fluid which is higly viscous and highly elastic at room temperature
and at the same time is optically clear. With such a material the experimentalist could record the kinematics of important flows in the absence of
inertia and shear thinning effects and clearly distinguish the influence of
elasticity, while the theoretician could compare his solution to the experimental results and thereby check the validity of his constitutive assumptions.
In this way a forward step could be made in the logical development of constitutive equations and in their use in the solution of realistic boundary value
problems.
* On leave from the Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University,
Clayton, Victoria, 3168, Australia.

88

The purpose of this paper is to present the fundamental flow properties of

an optically clear, highly viscous and highly elastic fluid which exhibits a
nearly constant viscosity and which can be processed at room temperature.
Results and discussion
Figure 1 shows the shear stress as a function of shear rate for a maltose
syrup obtained from Fielders Starches, Melbourne, which is specified as a
high maltose 43Baume syrup. The syrup shown in Fig. 1 had a small
amount of water added. Maltose syrups (or corn syrups) are slightly yellow
in color, yet are optically clear and are obtainable in a wide range of viscosities. The results in the low shear rate range in Fig. 1 were obtained with an
R16 Weissenberg rheogoniometer while those at the higher shear rates were
obtained with a capillary rheometer with long (L/D = 374) and short (LID =
4,25, 100) capillary tubes. No end correction was necessary for L/l3 =

Fluid:

Maltose

Syrup

Temp: 209 C

IO2
IO'

IO'
Shear

&

Weissenberg

Corrected
Capillary
for
L#=4,25,100

Data

Capillary

LID-374

IU

Rate

Data

Dato

for

IV

isec-1

Fig. 1. Shear stress versus shear rate for a maltose syrup as measured with a rheogoniometer and a capillary rheometer.

89

374 while the Bagley method [l J was used to correct for end effects in the
shorter tubes. Measurements were made on a fresh sample and a previously
sheared sample to demonstrate the absence of shear degradation. There is
clear overlap and excellent agreement between the rheogon~ometer and tbe
capillary data. The slope of the line through the data points is very close to
one (n = 0.99). Therefore, the maltose syrup with some additional water is
Ne~oni~
with a viscosity of 13,200 cp for a shear rate up to 4500 s-.
Similarly, the maltose syrup without any water exhibited a viscosity of
22,000 cp. No normal stresses were observed for either fhaid with the
rheogoniomet~r.
The flow properties of the maltose syrup are drasticslffy changed by the
addition of a very small amount af polya~~l~~de
(Separan MG 500, Dow
Chemical Company). The shear stress and the first normal stress difference
measured with the rheogoniometer for a 0.08% Separan-maltose syrup SO~Ution are shown in Fig. 2. A very slight amount of shear thinning is introduced
(n = 0.94). A viscosity variation of 12% from a mean value of 22,500 cp is
observed for sheax rates less than 14 s-l.

Fluid:

Shear

Rute

0.08%

(se63

Separon

MG500

Maltose

Syrup

in

90

The results in Fig. 2 clearly show that this very viscous solutions has a
nearly constant viscosity and at the same time it is highly elastic. For
instance, at shear rates of 1 and 10 s- the stress ratio P,, - P22/r12 is 8.5
and 25.5, respectively, while at 1 s-i the Maxwell relaxation time P, t - Pz2/
2~~~7 is 4.25 s. The syrup solution has rheological properties approaching
those of a polymer melt, but marked shear thinning is absent and the
material can be processed at room temperature.
Notice also that the first
normal stress difference becomes quadratic at the lower shear rates.
In order to examine the extent of the shear rate range in which the viscosity remains essentially constant, additional data, shown in Fig. 3, were obtained with the capillary rheometer. Again no significant shear degradation
was observed when a fresh and a previously sheared sample was used. It was
not possible to overlap the shear rate range of the rheogoniometer
and the
capillary rheometer, but the two sets of data shown in Fig. 3 are colinear.
Therefore, the solution has a nearly constant viscosity for shear rates up to
1050 s-.

Fluid:

0.08%

Temp:

20

Weissenberg

Corrected

IORate

MG500

Maltose

Syrup

in

C
Data

Capillary Doto
for

Sheor

Separon

LID = 4,25,50.75.

IOI

(see-1

3. Shear stress versus shear rate for a solution of 0.08% poIyaerylamide in maftose
syrup as measured with a capillary rheometer.
Fig.

91

Clearly the maltose syrup-Separan solution is an optically clear, highly

viscous and highly elastic fluid which exhibits a nearly constant viscosity and
which can be processed at room temperature.
Acknowledgment
Our experimental work on the flow of non-Newtonian fluids is supported
by the Australian Research Grants Commission.
References
1 E.B. Bagley, J. Appl. Phys., 28 (1957)

624.