Thermal Shear Waves Induced in Mesoscopic Liquids at Low Frequency Mechanical Deformation

Thermal Shear Waves Induced in Mesoscopic Liquids at Low Frequency Mechanical Deformation

E. Kume and L. Noirez

We show that a confned viscous liquid emits a dynamic thermal response upon applying a low frequency (∼1 Hz) shear excitation. Hot and cold thermal waves are observed in situ at atmospheric pressure and room temperature, in a viscous liquid (polypropylene glycol) at various thicknesses ranging from 100 µm up to 340 µm, upon applying a mechanical oscillatory shear strain. The observed thermal efects, synchronous with the mechanical excitation, are inconsistent with a viscous behaviour. It indicates that mesoscopic liquids are able to (partly) convert mechanical shear energy in non-equilibrium thermodynamic states. This efect called thermo-elasticity is well known in solid materials. The observation of a thermal coupling to the mechanical shear deformation reinforces the assumption of elastically correlated liquid molecules. The amplitude of the thermo-elastic waves increases linearly by increasing the shear strain amplitude up to a transition to a non-linear thermal behavior, similar to a transition from an elastic to plastic regime. The thermo-elastic efects do not give rise to any change in stress measurements and thus the dynamic thermal analysis provides unique information about dynamic liquid properties.

https://doi.org/10.1515/jnet-2021-0091

Dynamic mechanical response of polypropylene glycol (PPG-4000) in terms of shear elastic G’ and viscous modulus G » at 0.5 rad/s as a function of the shear strain (γ)