Expanding the understanding of squeeze flow with pressure mapping and application for concentrated suspensions

Squeeze flow has been proven as an interesting technique for the rheological evaluation of many classes of materials, being relatable to common compressive phenomena from various processing and application procedures. Despite the simplicity of the experimental setup needed to run it, the results from the test are rather complex, involving multiple variables and factors that are not fully clarified by the bulk stress response. One additional piece of information that can be valuable is the pressure distribution over the sample area, since it is related to key aspects of the flow. The addition of a pressure mapping system to the traditional setup of the test has been recently proposed as a way to enrich the information obtained, in a method deemed pressure mapped squeeze flow (PMSF). This paper presents the evolution and state of the art of this technique, and analyzes a plastic clay with two different water contents in three displacement rates to demonstrate the potential and possibilities that PMSF offers. The experimental setup is presented in detail, along with the calibration procedure and data treatment suggested, as well as multiple types of analyses including bulk stress curves, raw pressure distribution plots, measured contact area, evolution of the mean profile, comparison to theoretical models supported by error analysis, and investigation of variation over the area. With the procedure established and presented in this work, it should be possible to apply PMSF as a valuable technique throughout the materials science and engineering community.