Evgeniy Boyko

Abstract:
We provide an experimental framework to measure the flow rate–pressure drop relation for Newtonian and shear-thinning fluids in two common deformable configurations: a rectangular channel and an axisymmetric tube. Using the Carreau model to describe the shear-dependent viscosity, we identify the key dimensionless rheological number Cu, which characterizes shear thinning, and we show that our experiments lie within the power-law regime of shear rates. To rationalize the experimental data, we derive the flow rate–pressure drop relation taking into account the two-way-coupled fluid-structure interaction between the flow and its compliant confining boundaries.