ABSTRACT

Dense suspensions are a broad class of out-of-equilibrium systems that often display interesting macroscopic behaviour under flow. The rich physics observed for suspensions of spheres can be expanded to particles of more complex geometries, resulting in novel flow phenomena. This work applies concepts from dry granular physics to model the rheology of suspensions of curved rods in LAMMPS. Specifically, we investigate the interplay between rod curvature (exploring an angular range of 0-2pi) and microstructural properties. In our sheared suspensions, we probe the shape-dependent jamming transition whereby, the jamming volume fraction is found to be a non-monotonic function of curvature. Using Q-Tensor theory, we show alignment with the flow field and consequent arising orientational order contributes to the different packing abilities of rods, arches and disks.

BRIEF ACADEMIC/EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:

PhD student at the University of Edinburgh in the ICMCS (Institute for condensed matter and complex systems). Funded by the SOFI (Soft Matter for Formulation and Industrial Innovation) CDT, recently undergoing 6-months of project work with companies such as Unilever, P&G and GSK.