Suspensions rhéo-épaississantes - Principes et applications

International audience; Shear-thickening is observed in dense particulate suspensions and consists in a severe increase of the suspension viscosity above an onset stress. This behavior, which is very useful for certain technological applications, can also be an issue in some industrial processes. Shear thickening was considered a puzzle for a long time. It can now be explained as a frictional transition thanks to a recent theoretical model. This paper presents this model and its numerical and experimental validations. Different applications which may emerge from the understanding of this phenomenon are then discussed.; Le rhéo-épaississement est un phénomène observé dans certaines suspensions denses de particules. Il consiste en une augmentation parfois brutale de leur viscosité lorsqu'elles sont soumises à une forte contrainte. Ce comportement, très utile pour certaines applications tech-nologiques, peut aussi s'avérer problématique dans certains processus industriels. Longtemps resté une énigme, le rhéo-épaississement est désormais décrit de façon cohérente par le modèle de transition frictionnelle. Cet article présente ce modèle ainsi que les études numériques et expérimentales qui le valident. Sont ensuite abordées différentes perspectives d'applications offertes par la compréhension de ce phénomène. Résumé Shear-thickening is observed in dense particulate suspensions and consists in a severe increase of the suspension viscosity above an onset stress. This behavior, which is very useful for certain technological applications, can also be an issue in some industrial processes. Shear thickening was considered a puzzle for a long time. It can now be explained as a frictio-nal transition thanks to a recent theoretical model. This paper presents this model and its numerical and experimental validations. Different applications which may emerge from the understanding of this phenomenon are then discussed.