Open AccessMorphological instability of a non-equilibrium ice–colloid interface
Author(s) -
Stephen Peppin,
Apala Majumdar,
J. S. Wettlaufer
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
proceedings of the royal society a mathematical physical and engineering sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1471-2946
pISSN - 1364-5021
DOI - 10.1098/rspa.2009.0390
Subject(s) - instability , colloid , mechanics , liquidus , nonlinear system , anisotropy , porous medium , materials science , convection , suspension (topology) , spiral (railway) , thermodynamics , geology , mineralogy , porosity , optics , physics , geotechnical engineering , chemistry , composite material , mathematics , alloy , quantum mechanics , homotopy , pure mathematics , mathematical analysis
We assess the morphological stability of a non-equilibrium ice-colloidal suspension interface, and apply the theory to bentonite clay. An experimentally convenient scaling is employed that takes advantage of the vanishing segregation coefficient at low freezing velocities, and when anisotropic kinetic effects are included, the interface is shown to be unstable to travelling waves. The potential for travelling-wave modes reveals a possible mechanism for the polygonal and spiral ice lenses observed in frozen clays. A weakly nonlinear analysis yields a long-wave evolution equation for the interface shape containing a new parameter related to the highly nonlinear liquidus curve in colloidal systems. We discuss the implications of these results for the frost susceptibility of soils and the fabrication of microtailored porous materials. © 2009 The Royal Society
Accelerating Research
Robert Robinson Avenue,
Oxford Science Park, Oxford
OX4 4GP, United Kingdom
Address
John Eccles HouseRobert Robinson Avenue,
Oxford Science Park, Oxford
OX4 4GP, United Kingdom