Numerical analysis of shear thickening fluids for blast mitigation applications

Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) have evolved over the years to become one of the main causes of casualties and fatalities in recent conflicts. One area of research focuses on the improvement of blast attenuation using Shear Thickening Fluid (STF). The STF is a dilatant material, which displays non-Newtonian characteristics in its unique ability to transit from a low viscosity fluid to a high viscosity fluid. Although empirical research and computational models using the non-Newtonian flow characteristics of STF have been conducted to study the effects of STF on blast mitigation, to the author's best knowledge, no specific research has been performed to investigate the STF behavior by modeling and simulation of the interaction between the base flow and embedded rigid particles when subjected to shear stress. The model considered the Lagrangian description of the rigid particles and the Eulerian description of fluid flow. The numerical analysis investigated key parameters such as applied flow acceleration, particle distribution arrangement, volume concentration of particles, particle size, particle shape, and particle behavior in Newtonian and Non-Newtonian fluid base. The fluid-particle interaction model showed that the arrangement, size, shape and volume concentration of particles had a significant effect on the behavior of STF. Although non-conclusive, the addition of particles in Non-Newtonian fluids showed a promising trend of better shear thickening effect at high shear strain rates.