Rheological Behavior of Dilatant (Shear-Thickening) Fluids. Part II. Mechanism and Theory

A theory for the rheological behavior of dilatant (shear-thickening) fluids was developed. The theory based on physical-chemical principles was shown to overcome the shortcomings of existing theories. In addition, it was found that the theory predicted the rheological behavior of dilatant (shear-thickening) fluids as affected by particle size, suspending medium characteristics, temperature, and concentration.