Abstract
Sedimentation and flocculation of dispersed phase were studied using Newtonian and non-Newtonian suspensions of calcium carbonate. The constant K in the Robinson equation proved to be dependent upon the degree of flocculation rather than upon particle shape and roughness only as was previously reported by Robinson. It was also revealed that the K was closely related to the structural viscosity of suspension, showing a figure near to 4 for Newtonian suspension and larger than 4 as the suspension's structural viscosity increased. Relations were also studied between the volume of the immobilized medium on particle surface and the structural viscosity of suspension. It was revealed that the volume of the immobilized medium on particle surface varied depending upon the kind of suspending medium and the larger the volume of the immobilized medium the greater the relative effect on structural viscosity.
