Effects of body shape and viscoelasticity on the slow flow around an obstacle

A study was made of the motion of axisymmetrical objects in viscous and viscoelastic fluids within a cylindrical tank with the assumption of negligible inertial effects. A numerical treatment based on the Stokes equations of motion and an optimization technique enabled the details of the velocity and rate-of-deformation fields for a Newtonian fluid to be predicted. The influence of the shape of various bodies, some even with concave surfaces, was examined. The corresponding experiments were carried out with viscous and viscoelastic fluids using a visualization technique. A correlation between the main flow characteristics and the rheological behaviour of the fluids was established.