The rheology of noncolloidal suspensions under cyclic shear is studied numerically. The main findings are a strain amplitude (γ_{0}) dependent response in the shear stress and second normal stress difference… Click to show full abstract
The rheology of noncolloidal suspensions under cyclic shear is studied numerically. The main findings are a strain amplitude (γ_{0}) dependent response in the shear stress and second normal stress difference (N_{2}). Specifically, we find a reduced viscosity, an enhanced intracycle shear thinning, the onset of a finite N_{2}, and its frequency doubling, all near a critical strain amplitude γ_{c} that scales with the volume fraction ϕ as γ_{c}∼ϕ^{-2}. These rheological changes also signify a reversible-irreversible transition (RIT), dividing stroboscopic particle dynamics into a reversible absorbing phase (for γ_{0}γ_{c}). We explain the results based on two flow-induced mechanisms and elucidate their connection in the context of RIT through the underlying microstructure, which tends toward hyperuniformity near γ_{0}=γ_{c}. Overall, we expect this correspondence between rheology and emergent dynamics to hold in a wide range of settings where structural organizations are dominated by volume exclusions.
               
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