Rheological modeling of nanoparticles in a suspension with shear flow

Shear thickening is an intriguing phenomenon in the fields of chemical engineering and rheology because it originates from complex situations with experimental and numerical measurements. This paper presents results from the numerical modeling of the particle-fluid dynamics of a two-dimensional mixture of colloidal particles immersed in a fluid. Our results reveal the characteristic particle behavior with an application of a shear force to the upper part of the fluid domain. By combining the lattice Boltzmann and discrete element methods with the calculation of the lubrication forces when particles approach or recede from each other, this study aims to reveal the behavior of the suspension, specifically shear thickening. The results show that the calculated suspension viscosity is in good agreement with the experimental results. Results describing the particle deviation, diffusivity, concentration, and contact numbers are also demonstrated.