Calibration Procedures for Orthogonal Superposition Rheology

Summary

We present a detailed calibration protocol for a commercial orthogonal superposition rheology technique using Newtonian fluids including end-effect correction factor determination methods and recommendations for best practices to reduce experimental error.

Abstract

Orthogonal superposition (OSP) rheology is an advanced rheological technique that involves superimposing a small-amplitude oscillatory shear deformation orthogonal to a primary shear flow. This technique allows the measurement of structural dynamics of complex fluids under non-linear flow conditions, which is important for the understanding and prediction of the performance of a wide range of complex fluids. The OSP rheological technique has a long history of development since the 1960s, mainly through the custom-built devices that highlighted the power of this technique. The OSP technique is now commercially available to the rheology community. Given the complicated design of the OSP geometry and the non-ideal flow field, users should understand the magnitude and sources of measurement error. This study presents calibration procedures using Newtonian fluids that includes recommendations for best practices to reduce measurement errors. Specifically, detailed information on the end-effect factor determination method, sample filling procedure, and identification of the appropriate measurement range (e.g., shear rate, frequency, etc.) are provided.

Introduction

Understanding the rheological properties of complex fluids is essential to many industries for the development and manufacture of reliable and reproducible products¹. These “complex fluids” include suspensions, polymeric liquids, and foams that widely exist in our everyday life, for example, in personal care products, foods, cosmetics, and household products. The rheological or flow properties (e.g., viscosity) are key quantities of interest in establishing performance metrics for end use and processability, but flow properties are interconnected with the microstructures that exist within complex fluids. One prominent character....

Protocol

1. Rheometer setup

NOTE: The protocol in this section describes basic steps to run a rheology experiment (for either a separate motor-transducer rheometer or a combined motor-transducer rheometer), including preparation of the setup, installation of appropriate geometry, loading the test material, setting up the experiment procedure, specifying the geometry, and starting the test. Specific instructions and notes are provided for OSP operation. To minimize thermal gradients in the transducer, it is recommended to power the rheometer for at least 30 min prior to the operation. The rheometer software used in this protocol for instrument control ....

Results

Representative results from the viscosity calibration measurements on a 12.2 Pa s silicone viscosity standard are represented in Figure 5 and Figure 6. Note that the primary end-effect factor and the orthogonal end-effect factor are both set to 1.00 for the calibration runs. Figure 5 shows the steady shear viscosity and the torque as a function of shear rate on a double y-axis plot. The silicone liquid is a Newtonian fluid; as expec.......

Discussion

In this protocol, we present a detailed experimental procedure for performing viscosity calibration measurements using Newtonian fluids for a commercial orthogonal superposition rheology technique with a double-wall concentric cylinder geometry. The calibration factors, i.e., the primary end-effect factor C_L and the orthogonal end-effect factor C_Lo, are determined independently by conducting steady shear rate sweep and orthogonal frequency sweep tests. After obtai.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Advanced Peltier System	TA Instruments	402500.901	Enviromental control device
ARES-G2 Rheometer	TA Instruments	401000.501	Rheometer
Brookfield Silicone Fluid, 12500cP	AMTEK Brookfield	12500 cps	Viscosity standard liquid
OSP Slotted Bob, 33 mm	TA Instruments	402796.902	Bob, upper geometry
OSP Slotted Double Gap Cup, 34 mm	TA Instruments	402782.901	Double wall cup, lower geometry
Pipette (1 – 10 mL)	Eppendorf	3120000089	To load test materials
Pipette (100 – 1,000 µL)	Eppendorf	3123000063	To load test materials
Pipette Tips (0.5 – 10 mL)	Eppendorf	022492098	To load test materials
Pipette Tips (50 – 1,000 µL)	Eppendorf	022491555	To load test materials
Spatula	VWR	82027-532	To load test materials
TRIOS	TA Instruments	v4.3.1.39215	Rheometer software