A Study of Dam Break Wave of Thixotropic Fluid: Bentonite Surges down an Inclined plane." Report No. CH54/04, Dept. of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland

Dam break wave of bentonite suspension (17 % mass concentration) down 15º slope ii Thixotropic fluids are commonly used in the construction industry (e.g. liquid cements, liquid concrete, drilling fluids), industrial applications (e.g. muds, paints) and the food industry (e.g. liquid dairy products, ketchup). Related applications include some forms of mud flows and debris flows, pasty sewage sludges and some wastewater treatment residues. Thixotropy is the characteristic of a fluid to form a gelled structure over time when it is not subjected to shearing and to liquefy when agitated. A thixotropic fluid is a non-Newtonian fluid with a viscosity that is a function of both shear rate ∂V/∂y and instantaneous state(s) of structure of the material. Such a fluid exhibits a reversible time-dependent decrease in apparent viscosity under shear rate and a gradual recovery when the shear stress is removed. This report describes a basic study of dam break wave with thixotropic fluid. A dam break wave is a sudden release of a mass of fluid in a channel. This type of flows has not been studied to date with thixotropic fluid, despite its practical applications: e.g., mudflow release, concrete tests including L-Box and J-Ring for self-consolidating concret