Rheology

Rheology is the study of the flow of matter, primarily in the liquid state, but also as 'soft solids' or solids under flow conditions in which they respond with plastic flow rather than deforming elastically in response to the applied force. An understanding of the flow of matter underpins a diversity of technologies and industrial processing including polymer and food processing. It applies to substances which have a complex microstructure, such as concentrated solutions, suspensions, polymers and inorganic glass formers as well as biological materials which belong to the class of soft matter. Rheological measurements are seemingly straightforward to make, but require models to interpret the mechanical measurements in terms of the microscopic behaviour of the material. This book draws these diverse strands of current rheological research into a single volume which embraces theory, measurement and applications in topics as diverse as theory and electrospinning, coal ash slag and food processing, hydrogels and liquid crystal polymers, reaction injection moulding and microreheology. There is a strong focus on the emerging topics in rheology and its application to complex soft matter especially in the field of food science and technology. The sixteen chapters in the volume present unpublished research work across these topics from leading authorities in the relevant field. The volume has a strong international representation with the selected authors drawn from some ten countries in Europe, South America and the rest of the world. Each chapter contains a comprehensive bibliography of related work. The book provides a fascinating snapshot across the current developments in rheology.