Angle of inclination of tank-treading red cells: dependence on shear rate and suspending medium.

ABSTRACT: Red cells suspended in solutions much more viscous than blood plasma assume an almost steady-state orientation when sheared above a threshold value of shear rate. This orientation is a consequence of the motion of the membrane around the red cell called tank-treading. Observed along the undisturbed vorticity of the shear flow, tank-treading red cells appear as slender bodies. Their orientation can be quantified as an angle of inclination (θ) of the major axis with respect to the undisturbed flow direction. We measured θ using solution viscosities (η0) and shear rates (γ˙) covering one and three orders of magnitude, respectively. At the lower values of η0, θ was almost independent of γ˙. At the higher values of η0, θ displayed a maximum at intermediate shear rates. The respective maximal va

SUBMITTER: Fischer TM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4375532 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature