Bostwick Degree and Rheological Properties: an Up-to-date Viewpoint

Abstract

Abstract The correlation between the Bostwick degree and the static rheological properties of yield stress food fuids is first revisited and then reformulated in this work. The role of the yield stress in the free surface flow of the Bost-wick test is studied using dimensional analysis. Results from experiments on 48 different samples of yield stress fluids are considered and included to check the adequacy of the proposed correlation. Asymptotic dynamic behaviour is also presented and discussed as a mechanism of complete self similarity with respect of the dimensionless time. This approach would seem to support the opinions in favor of the yield stress as a key parameter, and thus offers an interesting new viewpoint useful to both future experiments on the Bostwick test and studies of 'dam-break' like dynamics.