Dynamics of non-Brownian fiber suspensions under periodic shear.

We report experiments studying the dynamics of dense non-Brownian fiber suspensions subjected to periodic oscillatory shear. We find that periodic shear initially causes fibers to collide and to undergo irreversible diffusion. As time progresses, the fibers tend to orient in the vorticity direction while the number of collisions decreases.

Transverse alignment of fibers in a periodically sheared suspension: an absorbing phase transition with a slowly varying control parameter.

Shearing solutions of fibers or polymers tends to align fiber or polymers in the flow direction. Here, non-Brownian rods subjected to oscillatory shear align perpendicular to the flow while the system undergoes a nonequilibrium absorbing phase transition. The slow alignment of the fibers can drive the system through the critical point and thus promote the transition to an absorbing state.