| Citation | Distinguished for his contributions to rheology and the development of rheological science in the UK. Professor Walters has employed a powerful combination of theoretical analysis, experiment and numerical simulation in his extensive studies of the behaviour of non-Newtonian fluids, particularly elastic liquids. He has made important advances in two major areas: the measurement of rheological properties and the numerical solution of complex flows. In the first area he has extended the theory of viscometric flows, carried out a searching analysis of sources of error in the principal instruments in current use and maintained a strong commitment to industrial applications arising in the manufacture of lubricants, detergents, paints etc. His book "Rheometry" is a standard work of reference. He is one of the main pioneers of the application of numerical methods to the rheology of liquids and the book "Numerical Simulation of Non-Newtonian Flow", of which he is joint author, is an influential text in a rapidly evolving field of research. He was the first to demonstrate the effectiveness of finite difference techniques in simulating non-Newtonian flow in geometries characteristic of industrial processes, and his combined numerical and experimental studies have contributed substantially to understanding of the often unusual behaviour of elastic liquids in such situations. Professor Walters is founder-editor of the Journal of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics. Over the past 20 years his laboratory has established itself as the strongest university-based centre of rheological research and training in the UK. He may justly be described as the leading British rheologist of the present time. |