Jamming transitions in a schematic model of suspension rheology

TL;DR

This paper investigates how a simplified model of colloid suspensions exhibits jamming transitions under stress, revealing a distinct analytical structure from traditional glass and shear thickening phenomena.

Contribution

It introduces a schematic scalar model incorporating stress-dependent memory to analyze jamming transitions, highlighting their unique analytical features.

Findings

Transitions from fluid to jammed states under stress

Jamming transition differs from mode coupling glass transition

Jamming is distinct from hydrodynamic shear thickening

Abstract

We study the steady-state response to applied stress in a simple scalar model of sheared colloids. Our model is based on a schematic (F2) model of the glass transition, with a memory term that depends on both stress and shear rate. For suitable parameters, we find transitions from a fluid to a nonergodic, jammed state, showing zero flow rate in an interval of applied stress. Although the jammed state is a glass, we predict that jamming transitions have an analytical structure distinct from that of the conventional mode coupling glass transition. The static jamming transition we discuss is also distinct from hydrodynamic shear thickening.