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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/M06956/01
Title: MODELLING THE FLOW OF CONCENTRATED SUSPENSIONS OF SOFT PARTICLES
Principal Investigator: Odell, Dr JA
Other Investigators:
Yuan, Dr X Fisher, Professor L
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Pre Nexus Migration
Department: Physics
Organisation: University of Bristol
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 01 April 1998 Ends: 31 March 2001 Value (£): 146,743
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Complex fluids & soft solids Multiphase Flow
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Food and Drink Healthcare
Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
We propose to investigate the flow of concentrated suspensions of soft solid particles, bringing new experimental approaches and modelling techniques to this little understood problem. This is an area of great importance in many indsutrial processes such as paints, inks, drilling fluids, latex suspensions, emulsions in the oil and pharmaceutical industries, detergent mesophases, food processing, and treated sewage.Newly proven micro-rheological techniques will be used to measure directly the deformation of single soft granules. We will use classical mechanics and finite element methods to calculate the viscoelastic properties, even for complex particulates having, for example, a mechanically effective skin.We will use novel computational methods based upon a Lagrangian-Eulerian approach, enabling us to use microrheological results to predict macrorheological behaviour. A feature of this approach is the link between suspension microstructure and macrorheology.We will use new real-time rheological and scattering techniques to perform parallel macrorheology and structural studies on concentrated soft particulate suspensions, under industrial processing conditions, comparing these measurements with the model predictions. This comparison will be used to further refine the model. We will investigate the structure and rheology of both model systems of soft particles and systems of innate industrial and medical interest in non-Newtonian fluid suspensions.
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Further Information:  
Organisation Website: http://www.bris.ac.uk