Modeling of the collision of a concentrated suspension droplet with a substrate

Аuthors

Zharikov D. S.

Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University), 4, Volokolamskoe shosse, Moscow, А-80, GSP-3, 125993, Russia

e-mail: dimazharikov10@gmail.com

Abstract

This study presents a numerical investigation of the impact of a dilatant suspension droplet on a solid surface, accounting for the non-Newtonian flow behavior. Accurate prediction of the behavior of concentrated suspensions under impact and rapid mechanical loading is important for applications such as functional coating deposition, spraying of industrial formulations, and the development of impact-resistant materials based on shear-thickening fluids. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of shear thickening on the deformation and spreading dynamics of a dilatant suspension droplet upon impact with a solid surface, as well as to assess the applicability of the numerical approach to practical engineering and industrial applications. The Volume of Fluid (VOF) method was used to model the two-phase flow. The dependence of effective viscosity on the local shear rate was implemented using a user-defined function (UDF), while the transport of a history-dependent variable was modeled using a user-defined scalar (UDS). Suspensions with different volume fractions of the dispersed phase were considered, with rheological parameters determined from experimental data. The numerical results show that accounting for shear thickening improves the prediction of droplet shape evolution and its interaction with a solid surface. Comparison with the data reported in the original study further supports the applicability of the numerical approach. 
The results can be used in further numerical simulations of the impact of concentrated non-Newtonian suspension droplets on solid surfaces, particularly in the development of protective and impact-absorbing materials, where deformation, spreading, and energy dissipation under rapid mechanical loading play an important role.

Keywords:

rheology; droplet impact; suspension; numerical modeling; shear thickening; Navier-Stokes equations

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