Hysteresis and Lubrication in Shear Thickening of Cornstarch Suspensions

Aqueous and brine suspensions of corn starch show striking discontinuous shear thickening. We have found that a suspension shear-thickened throughout may remain in the jammed thickened state as the strain rate is reduced, but an unjamming front may propagate from any unjammed regions. Transient shear thickening is observed at strain rates below the thickening threshold, and above it the stress fluctuates. The jammed shear-thickened state may persist to low strain rates, with stresses resembling sliding friction and effective viscosity inversely proportional to the strain rate. At the thickening threshold fluid pressure depins the suspension's contact lines on solid boundaries so that it slides, shears, dilates and jams. In oil suspensions lubrication and complete wetting of confining surfaces eliminate contact line forces and prevent jamming and shear thickening, as does addition of immiscible liquid surfactant to brine suspensions. Starch suspensions in glycerin-water solutions, viscous but incompletely wetting, have intermediate properties.