In
fluid mechanics
Fluid mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the mechanics of fluids (liquids, gases, and plasma (physics), plasmas) and the forces on them.
Originally applied to water (hydromechanics), it found applications in a wide range of discipl ...
(specifically
rheology
Rheology (; ) is the study of the flow of matter, primarily in a fluid (liquid or gas) state but also as "soft solids" or solids under conditions in which they respond with plastic flow rather than deforming elastically in response to an applie ...
), rheoscopic fluids are
fluid
In physics, a fluid is a liquid, gas, or other material that may continuously motion, move and Deformation (physics), deform (''flow'') under an applied shear stress, or external force. They have zero shear modulus, or, in simpler terms, are M ...
s whose internal
currents
Currents, Current or The Current may refer to:
Science and technology
* Current (fluid), the flow of a liquid or a gas
** Air current, a flow of air
** Ocean current, a current in the ocean
*** Rip current, a kind of water current
** Current (hy ...
are visible as it
flows. Such fluids are effective in visualizing dynamic currents, such as
convection
Convection is single or Multiphase flow, multiphase fluid flow that occurs Spontaneous process, spontaneously through the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoy ...
and
laminar flow
Laminar flow () is the property of fluid particles in fluid dynamics to follow smooth paths in layers, with each layer moving smoothly past the adjacent layers with little or no mixing. At low velocities, the fluid tends to flow without lateral m ...
. They are microscopic
crystalline
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macrosc ...
platelets such as
mica
Micas ( ) are a group of silicate minerals whose outstanding physical characteristic is that individual mica crystals can easily be split into fragile elastic plates. This characteristic is described as ''perfect basal cleavage''. Mica is co ...
, metallic flakes, or fish scales in
suspension
Suspension or suspended may refer to:
Science and engineering
* Car suspension
* Cell suspension or suspension culture, in biology
* Guarded suspension, a software design pattern in concurrent programming suspending a method call and the calling ...
in a fluid such as
water
Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...
or
glycol stearate
Glycol stearate (glycol monostearate or ethylene glycol monostearate) is an organic compound with the molecular formula C20H40O3. It is the ester of stearic acid and ethylene glycol. It is used as an ingredient in many types of personal care pr ...
.
When the fluid is put in motion, the suspended particles orient themselves with the local fluid shear. With appropriate illumination, the particle-filled fluid will reflect differing intensities of light.
A Kalliroscope is an art device/technique based on rheoscopic fluids (using crystalline guanine as the indicator particles
[https://pubs.aip.org/aip/pof/article/30/8/087103/938850/Rheoscopic-fluids-in-a-post-Kalliroscope-world]) invented by artist
Paul Matisse
Paul Matisse (born 1933) is an artist and inventor known for his public art installations, many of which are interactive and produce sound. Matisse also invented the Kalliroscope.
Early life and education
Paul Matisse is the son of New York g ...
.
See also
*
Reynolds number
In fluid dynamics, the Reynolds number () is a dimensionless quantity that helps predict fluid flow patterns in different situations by measuring the ratio between Inertia, inertial and viscous forces. At low Reynolds numbers, flows tend to ...
References
External links
University of Chicago Materials Research Centre DemonstrationInstructables: Making Rheoscopic fluid
Paul Matisse
rheoscopist
{{fluiddynamics-stub
category:artistic techniques
category:fluid dynamics
category:educational toys