Abstract
An improved theory for the deformation of a liquid drop subjected to uniform shear is applied to the problem of a liquid drop suspended in a nonuniform shear field. A solution is given for slow flow between fixed parallel plates of a dilute suspension of liquid drops, and dimensionless velocity profiles and average velocity are calculated. The liquid drop model is applied to blood rheology using published estimates for red cell viscosity and membrane tension. The velocity profiles are found to be blunter than parabolic, with the degree of blunt- ing increasing with cell concentration. The profiles are not as blunt as those observed generally, indicating effects of hydrodynamic interactions between neighboring red cells and between cells and the walls need be taken into account to model blood rheology. It is deduced that measurements of the first normal stress difference will provide the best means for studying erythrocyte rheology within the context of the liquid drop model.
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