Third-order partial differential equations arising in the impulsive motion of a flat plate

We obtain numerical solutions to a class of third-order partial differential equations arising in the impulsive motion of a flat plate for various boundary data. In particular, we study the case of constant acceleration of the plate, the case of oscillation of the plate, and a case in which velocity is increasing yet acceleration is decreasing. We compare the numerical solutions with the known exact solutions in order to establish the validity of the method. Several figures illustrating both solution forms and the relative strength of the second and third-order terms are presented. The results obtained in this study reveal many interesting behaviors that warrant further study on the non-Newtonian fluid flow phenomena.     

On the choice of auxiliary linear operator in the optimal homotopy analysis of the Cahn-Hilliard initial value problem

Analytical solutions for the Cahn-Hilliard initial value problem are obtained through an application of the homotopy analysis method. While there exist numerical results in the literature for the Cahn-Hilliard equation, a nonlinear partial differential equation, the present results are completely analytical. In order to obtain accurate approximate analytical solutions, we consider multiple auxiliary linear operators, in order to find the best operator which permits accuracy after relatively few terms are calculated. We also select the convergence control parameter optimally, through the construction of an optimal control problem for the minimization of the accumulated L ²-norm of the residual errors. In this way, we obtain optimal homotopy analysis solutions for this complicated nonlinear initial value problem. A variety of initial conditions are selected, in order to fully demonstrate the range of solutions possible.     

Analytical and numerical results for the Swift-Hohenberg equation

The problem of the Swift-Hohenberg equation is considered in this paper. Using homotopy analysis method (HAM) the series solution is developed and its convergence is discussed and documented here for the first time. In particular, we focus on the roles of the eigenvalue parameter α and the length parameter l on the large time behaviour of the solution. For a given time t, we obtain analytical expressions for eigenvalue parameter α and length l which show how different values of these parameters may lead to qualitatively different large time profiles. Also, the results are presented graphically. The results obtained reveal many interesting behaviors that warrant further study of the equations related to non-Newtonian fluid phenomena, especially the shear-thinning phenomena. Shear thinning reduces the wall shear stress.     

Extension of the Method of Quasilinearization and Rapid Convergence

An extension of the method of quasilinearization has been applied to first-order nonlinear initial-value problems (IVP for short). It has been shown that there exist monotone sequences which converge rapidly to the unique solution of IVP.     

Diffusion of chemically reactive species in a porous medium over a stretching sheet

Solutions for a class of nonlinear second-order differential equations, arising in diffusion of chemically reactive species of a non-Newtonian fluid immersed in a porous medium over a stretching sheet, are obtained. Furthermore, using the Brouwer fixed point theorem, existence results are established. Moreover, the exact analytical solutions (for some special cases) are obtained. The results obtained for the diffusion characteristics reveal many interesting behaviors that warrant further study of the effects of reaction rate on the transfer of chemically reactive species.     

Analytical and numerical solutions of a coupled non-linear system arising in a three-dimensional rotating flow

Hydromagnetic flow between two horizontal plates in a rotating system, where the lower is a stretching sheet and the upper is a porous solid plate (in the presence of a magnetic field), is analyzed. The equations of conservation of mass and momentum are reduced to a system of coupled non-linear ordinary differential equations. These basic non-linear differential equations, for the velocity field (f′,f,g), are solved numerically by using a fourth-order Runge-Kutta integration scheme. The numerical results thus obtained are validated by the analytical results (for small R) obtained by the perturbation technique and presented through graphs. Also, the effects of the non-dimensional parameters R, λ, M² and K² on the velocity field are discussed, and it is shown that for large K², the coriolis force and the magnetic field that act against the pressure gradient cause reverse flow.     

Hydromagnetic flow of a dusty fluid over a stretching sheet

Analysis of hydromagnetic flow of a dusty fluid over a stretching sheet is carried out with a view to throw adequate light on the effects of fluid-particle interaction, particle loading, and suction on the flow characteristics. The equations of motion are reduced to coupled non-linear ordinary differential equations by similarity transformations. These coupled non-linear ordinary differential equations are solved numerically on an IBM 4381 with double precession, using a variable order, variable step-size finite-difference method. The numerical solutions are compared with their approximate solutions, obtained by a perturbation technique. For small values of β the exact (numerical) solution is in close agreement with that of the analytical (approximate) solution. It is observed that, even in the presence of a transverse magnetic field and suction, the transverse velocity of both the fluid and particle G phases decreases with an increase in the fluid-particle interaction parameter, β, or the particle-loading parameter, k. Moreover, the particle density is maximum at the surface of the stretching sheet, and the shearing stress increases with an increase in β or k.     

Pulsatile flow between permeable beds

Pulsatile flow of a viscous fluid between two permeable beds is analyzed. The flow between and through the permeable beds are governed by the Navier-Stokes equations and Darcy's law, respectively. The velocity field and the volume flux are obtained for several cases and discussed. Further, when the permeability parameter k→0, the results agree with those of Wang (J. Appl. Mech. 38 (1971) 553).     

Convective heat transfer in a conducting fluid over a permeable stretching surface with suction and internal heat generation/absorption

We consider a convective flow in a porous medium of an incompressible viscous conducting fluid impinging on a permeable stretching surface with suction, and internal heat generation/absorption. Using a similarity transformation the governing equations of the problem are reduced to a coupled third-order nonlinear ordinary differential equations. We first examine a number of special cases for which we may obtain exact solutions. We then obtain analytical solutions (by the Homotopy Analysis Method) and numerical solutions (by a boundary value problem solver), in order to further study the behavior of the nonlinear differential equations, for various values of the physical parameters. Our numerical solutions are shown to agree with the available results in the literature. We then employ the numerical results to bring out the effects of the suction parameter, heat source/sink parameter, stretching parameter, porosity parameter, the Prandtl number and the free convection parameter on the flow and heat transfer characteristics. In the absence of suction and free convection, our findings are in agreement with the corresponding numerical results of Attia [H.A. Attia, On the effectiveness of porosity on stagnation point flow towards a stretching surface with heat generation, Comput. Mater. Sci. 38 (2007) 741-745].