GR10 


Gallery of Rheology Contest


The vane geometry


October 23, 2019 (Wednesday) 6:30


Gallery of Rheology / Main Lobby on 3rd floor

(Click on name to view author profile)

  1. Owens, Crystal E. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
  2. Hart, Anastasios J. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
  3. McKinley, Gareth H. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering)

(in printed abstract book)
Crystal E. Owens, Anastasios J. Hart, and Gareth H. McKinley
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA


Owens, Crystal E.


The vane geometry is a tool of choice for rheological characterization of yield stress fluids and gels, due to well-defined circular kinematics of fluid deformation paired with prevention of wall slip. Here, we depict a family of novel 3D-printed vane tools that combines desirable features of the standard 4-arm vane and cylindrical bob into hybrid fractal structures. These vanes, produced by stereolithographic (SLA) 3D printing, create a more axisymmetric stress distribution than the 4-arm vane, less material damage/displacement upon sample loading than the bob, and eliminate wall slip. Desktop SLA machines permit creation of intricate structures with resolution < 200µm from photopolymer materials having good mechanical stability and solvent resistance.