Boundary compliance selects heterogeneous dynamics in shear-thickening suspensions

Abstract

The mechanical properties of confining boundaries can fundamentally alter the flow behaviour of shear-thickening suspensions. We study a dense cornstarch suspension sheared beneath a viscous silicone-oil layer, using the oil viscosity to tune boundary compliance. Flow visualisation and rheometry reveal two distinct regimes. With compliant boundaries, long-lived heterogeneities emerge via density waves or persistent clusters, maintained by a balance between interface deformation and particle rearrangement. With more resistant confinement, we observe transient jamming events, marked by abrupt spanning of load-bearing structures across the suspension thickness and the emergence of secondary stress waves. The onset stress of these events remains constant at the DST threshold, independent of bounding viscosity. Our results reveal that boundary compliance selects the lifetime and morphology of heterogeneous structures, offering a means to amplify otherwise short-lived microscopic processes and providing new insight into the interplay between shear thickening, shear jamming, and confinement mechanics.