Interfacially driven instability in the microchannel flow of a shear-banding fluid

Nghe, P.; Fielding, S.M.; Tabeling, P.; Ajdari, A.

Abstract

Using microparticle image velocimetry, we resolve the spatial structure of the shear-banding flow of a wormlike micellar surfactant solution in a straight microchannel. We reveal an instability of the interface between the shear bands, associated with velocity modulations along the vorticity direction. We compare our results with a detailed theoretical study of the diffusive Johnson-Segalman model. The quantitative agreement obtained favors an instability scenario previously predicted theoretically but hitherto unobserved experimentally, driven by a normal stress jump across the interface between the bands.

Citation

Nghe, P., Fielding, S., Tabeling, P., & Ajdari, A. (2010). Interfacially driven instability in the microchannel flow of a shear-banding fluid. Physical Review Letters, 104(24), Article 248303. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.104.248303

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Jun 17, 2010
• Publication Date: Jun 17, 2010
• Deposit Date: Jun 1, 2010
• Journal: Physical Review Letters
• Print ISSN: 0031-9007
• Electronic ISSN: 1079-7114
• Publisher: American Physical Society
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 104
• Issue: 24
• Article Number: 248303
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.104.248303
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1521470