Small- and large-amplitude oscillatory rheometry with bead-spring dumbbells in Stokesian Dynamics to mimic viscoelasticity

In many areas of suspension mechanics, such as filled polymer fluids or household products such as toothpaste, the suspending fluid itself is inherently non-Newtonian and may exhibit viscoelastic properties. In this paper, we extend the Stokesian Dynamics formalism to incorporate a simple model of viscoelasticity by using small spheres as 'beads' in a bead-spring dumbbell (such as is found in the derivation of Oldroyd and FENE constitutive models for dilute polymer solutions). Various different spring laws are then tested in both small-amplitude and large-amplitude oscillatory shear, and their rheological behaviour is compared to continuum constitutive models.