The role of glycerol derivative in a preparation of shear thickening fluids for liquid armour applications
Agnieszka Idźkowska, Mikołaj Szafran
Quarterly No. 1, 2014 pages 13-17
DOI:
keywords: shear thickening fluids, nanosilica, glycerol monoacrylate, dilatant effect, poly (propylene glycol)
abstract In this paper, the influence of a glycerol derivative (glycerol monoacrylate) synthesized by the authors on the dilatant effect of shear thickening fluid was investigated. It was assumed that the monomer synthesized from acrylic acid and glycidol, owing to the presence of two hydroxyl groups, allows one to enhance the dilatant effect of the investigated slurries by creating a three-dimensional network between the powder particle and dispersing agent. The dilatant effect was examined with respect to the solid loading and molecular weight of the dispersing agent. As the ceramic powder, a nanosilica with an average particle size of 14 nm was used. Poly (propylene glycol) of a molecular weight of 400 and 725 g/mol played the role of dispersant. The solid loading was changed from 12 to 15 vol.%. The measurements showed that by applying even a small amount of glycerol monoacrylate (0.5 wt.%), it was possible to enhance the dilatant effect of the investigated slurries. It was also observed that by increasing the solid loading and/or using a poly (propylene glycol) of a higher molecular weight, it was possible to increase the critical viscosity even threefold. Furthermore, the rheological properties of the slurry return to the initial state when the external force ceases. The influence of temperature and quantity of impacts also were investigated. The measurements showed that by increasing the temperature of the shear thickening fluid from room temperature to human body temperature, resulted in a decreased dilatant effect of the slurry. However, the onset of shear thickening and critical shear rate shifted to higher values of shear rate. Moreover, widening of the dilatant jump was observed. Similar results were obtained as a result of the using the fluid several times. The studies have shown that with each successive impact, the dilitant effect decreases.