Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2025 / iii / Paper 352 / 1

In small-amplitude oscillatory shear, expand the measured shear stress asComparison with the definitionof the storage modulus and loss modulus givesand henceThus the measured phase directly gives the loss tangent.

At low angular frequency, a standard viscoelastic fluid has time to relax and responds mainly as a viscous liquid: stress is approximately in phase with strain rate, so $\delta \to \pi /2$ as $\omega \to 0$. At high frequency it cannot relax during one cycle and responds mainly as an elastic solid, so stress is approximately in phase with strain and $\delta \to 0$ as $\omega \to \infty$.

For a material dominated by one viscoelastic relaxation time $\lambda$, the crossover between these regimes occurs when $\omega \lambda$ is of order one. Measure the frequency ${\omega }_c$ at which $G^{\prime }=G^{\prime \prime }$, equivalently $\delta =\pi /4$, and estimateA broad or multi-peaked crossover instead indicates a spectrum of relaxation times.

In a parallel-plate rheometer, a point at radius $r$ on the upper plate moves at speed $\Omega r$. The thin-gap approximation therefore gives the local shear rateDefine the rim valueAn annulus of radius $r$ and width $dr$ has area $2\pi rdr$; its tangential force is $\tau (r)2\pi rdr$, and its moment arm is $r$. The measured torque is consequently

For a generalized Newtonian fluid, $\tau =\eta (\dot{\gamma })\dot{\gamma }$. Changing the integration variable from $r$ to $\dot{\gamma }$ givesThus the requested kernel isMultiplying by ${\dot{\gamma }}_R^3$ and taking a derivative with respect to ${\dot{\gamma }}_R$ turns the upper-limit contribution of the integral into the rim viscosity:ThereforeA measured torque curve and its slope hence determine $\eta$ over the range of imposed rim shear rates.

The experimental law impliesSubstitution givesThe graph is a decreasing rectangular hyperbola with a positive high-rate plateau $2/(\pi \alpha R^3)$ and a $1/\dot{\gamma }$ divergence at the origin. Equivalently,so the inferred material is a Bingham plastic with yield stress $3T_c/(2\pi R^3)$.