Using the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility to infer flow-induced orientation of anisotropic particles: feasibility and sensitivity

In this paper, the use of anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) measurements has been investigated in order to check the sensitivity of this technique versus the flow conditions. The orientation of anisotropic magnetic particles during the flow of a polystyrene\(/\)magnetite blend through a capillary rheometer has been studied. Thanks to the magnetic properties of the magnetite, AMS measurements are possible. Different values of the filler concentration, viscosity, and shear rate were used. It is shown that the AMS technique is able to detect accurately particle orientation and that sensitivity decreases when increasing the concentration of magnetite grains. In addition, the rectangular-shaped sample imposed by the rheological device does not affect measures of AMS significantly. The results give reasons to consider that the measure of AMS is an accurate and sensitive method to access the mean local rheological behavior in filled or non-filled systems containing anisotropic tracers.