Rheometric Studies of Functional Polyurethane Foam Composite

A rheometric characterization of the functional Polyurethane (PU) foam composite with and without solid additives (aluminum flakes) were experimentally measured using a computer controlled mechanical spectrometer (rheometer) ARES-G2. It is determined that PU composite exhibits a strong time thickening and shear thinning behavior. The rheological behavior of this composite can be described with the power-law generalized non-Newtonian fluid model. The rheometric tests showed that the PU/Al mixture exhibits thermal thickening and shear thinning behavior with the yield stress. The system can be described with the power-law generalized non-Newtonian fluid (Ostwald-de-Waele) model. The effective viscosity of PU composite increases with both the testing time (exponentially) and the solid content (polynomial) in the mixture. Copyright © 2017 ASME.