Rheological behavior for laponite and bentonite suspensions in shear flow

The viscometric behavior of laponite and bentonite suspensions at different concentrations in shear flow is studied. It is discovered that in the equilibrium state, a master curve of viscosity can be constructed when the applied shear stress is normalized by the respective suspension’s yield stress. The interparticle interaction controlling the yield behavior at the gel state also dominates the behavior of particles at the equilibrium flowing state. A constitutive framework is developed to describe the master curve of viscosity as a function of the shear stress normalized by the yield stress. Based on the proposed model, the effect of concentration on the viscosity of clay suspensions can be estimated via their yield stress.