The flow of a power-law liquid in a continuous-flow squeeze film

Consideration is given to the flow of an inelastic ‘power-law’ liquid in a continuous flow squeeze film. This simulates the flow in a conventional squeeze film by continuously injecting fluid into the narrow gap between two plates through the lower plate (Oliver et al. [6]). To zero order in the usual lubrication approximation the results are identical with those for the conventional squeeze film. To first order, useful corrections to the normal force due to the effects of inertia are obtained.     

Load enhancement effects by polymer-thickened oils in strip squeeze film flow

A modification to existing equipment is described which permits continuous squeeze-film flow to be obtained between parallel-sided strips of material rather than between disc-shaped surface. Squeeze film flow is simulated by having liquid move through one of the surfaces via an array of equispaced holes. The Squeeze-film behavior of a Newtonian base oil is first tested at temperatures of 24°C and 55°C. It is shwon that loads are in reasonable agreement with theretical predictions and that end effects (corrected by means of a guard ring) and fluid maldistribution effects are of small proporitons. At the very highest liquid flowrates, the rapid liquid flow through the holes may influence the measured load. The Polymer-thickened oils, representinhg 10 W/30 and 10 W/50 motor oils, are tested at temperatures of 24°C and 55°C. Both oils five marked load enhancement, compared with Newtonian oil under similar flow conditions, at the higher flowrates used. The 10 W/50 oil gives load enhancement of 76 per cent at 55°C, increasing rapidly with the simulated approach velocity. Fluid inertia effects in the squeeze film flow aslo increase the load significantly. The results confirm earlier data using disc-shaped surfaces; load enhancement is greater in the present work on strip squeeze films because the fluid deformation rates are greater (2000 s^t-1 in planar extention and 2 x 10⁵ s^t-1 in shear). It is suggested that the fuel consumption of cars could be improved by the development of elastic, shear stable oils of lower viscosity than those currently in use.     

Slipping zone location in squeeze flow

In squeeze flow rheometry, the main problem is the boundary condition between the squeezed material and the plates. Therefore, the crucial assumption is to know the location and the shape of the sample part where wall slip may or may not occur. This question is investigated from experimental results. For this, squeeze flow experiments are carried out to visualize the flow pattern at the walls. Influence of boundary conditions is particularly studied using different plate surface condition. As a result, with wall slipping conditions, we propose a flow modelling divided into two zones: a circular central zone of the sample sticks on the plates and, beyond that zone, the sample slips at the plates with friction.     

The load-bearing capacity of a continuous-flow squeeze film of liquid

A new form of squeeze film system is described in which the movement of one plate towards the other is simulated by the continuous volume generation of liquid over the plate area. The liquid exudes from 1580 holes distributed uniformly over the lower plate surface. An advantage of the system is that there are no moving parts, but it is important to evaluate the device using Newtonian liquids in order to compare the load bearing capacity with that predicted by equations developed for orthodox squeeze film systems. Liquid maldistribution is shown to be a problem which may be solved in various ways, one of which is to ensure that the pressure drop through the plate is high relative to that in the squeeze film.Results obtained using Newtonian liquids make satisfactory comparison with theoretical predictions, though liquid inertia probably makes a lower contribution to load bearing than is the case for an orthodox squeeze film. Liquid maldistribution is allowed for on a theoretical basis or corrected by the use of a distributor plate placed below the perforated surface.Preliminary tests using viscoelastic solutions (based on polyacrylamide of high molecular weight) suggest that the load bearing properties of the squeeze film are significantly enhanced. A load 600 per cent greater than the theoretical load is obtained in one case, the suggestion being made that this is due to stress of viscoelastic origin.Nomenclature D Exit diameter of holes in spinnerette - F ₁ to F ₆ Vertical force on top plate due to flow in squeeze film, defined by (1), (8), (11), (12), (13) and (14) respectively - h Plate separation - h _L Distance of distributor plate from lower surface of spinnerette (function of r) - I ₀ Modified Bessel function of first kind, order 0 - I ₁ Modified Bessel function of first kind, order 1 - K ₀ Modified Bessel function of second kind, order 0 - L Length of hole, based on diameter D, giving same pressure drop as actual spinnerette holes - dm/dt Mass flowrate of liquid - N Total number of holes in spinnerette (1580) - p Isotropic pressure in squeeze film - P _RES Isotropic pressure in reservoir behind lower plate of spinnerette - p–P _RES - (dp/dr)_s Pressure gradient in squeeze film - (dp/dr)_L Pressure gradient in lower film below spinnerette when distributor plate is used - Q Total liquid volume flowrate - q _s Volume flowrate through squeeze film at radius r - q _L Volume flowrate through lower film at radius r - r radial coordinate - R radius of upper disc - - v Velocity of upper disc relative to lower one (simulated by Q/R ² in continuous flow system) - V _R Average radial liquid velocity at radius R - V _S Liquid exit velocity from single hole - V _r V V _z Point velocity components in r, and z directions respectively - z Axial coordinate - Parameter in (8) (3ND ⁴/32LR ² h ³) - Viscosity of liquid - Density of liquid - _rz Shear stress     

Transient squeeze flow of viscoplastic materials

The transient, axisymmetric squeezing of viscoplastic materials under creeping flow conditions is examined. The flow of the material even outside the disks is followed. Both cases of the disks moving with constant velocity or under constant force are studied. This time-dependent simulation of squeeze flow is performed for such materials in order to determine very accurately the evolution of the force or the velocity, respectively, and the distinct differences between these two experiments, the highly deforming shape and position of all the interfaces, the effect of possible slip on the disk surface, especially when the slip coefficient is not constant, and the effect of gravity. All these are impossible under the quasi-steady state condition used up to now. The exponential constitutive model, suggested by Papanastasiou, is employed. The governing equations are solved numerically by coupling the mixed finite element method with a quasi-elliptic mesh generation scheme in order to follow the large deformations of the free surface of the fluid. As the Bingham number increases, large departures from the corresponding Newtonian solution are found. When the disks are moving with constant velocity, unyielded material arises only around the two centers of the disks verifying previous works in which quasi-steady state conditions were assumed. The size of the unyielded region increases with the Bingham number, but decreases as time passes and the two disks approach each other. Their size also decreases as the slip velocity or the slip length along the disk wall increase. The force that must be applied on the disks in order to maintain their constant velocity increases significantly with the Bingham number and time and provides a first method to calculate the yield stress. On the other hand, when a constant force is applied on the disks, they slow down until they finally stop, because all the material between them becomes unyielded. The final location of the disk and the time when it stops provide another, probably easier, method to deduce the yield stress of the fluid.     

Numerical study of the Bingham squeeze film problem

In studies of the flow of a Bingham fluid in a parallel-plate plastometer there has been disagreement about whether or not a yield surface exists, and if it does exist what shape the yield surface has.The present authors have re-exemined the problem using a finite element program and have concluded that a small plug of unyielded fluid exists adjacent to the centre of the plates. This result has been verified by replacing the unyielded plug with a solid body.     

On the squeeze flow of a power-law fluid between rigid spheres

The lubrication solution for the squeeze flow of a power-law fluid between two rigid spherical particles has been investigated. It is shown that the radial pressure distribution converges to zero within the gap between the particles for any value of the flow index, n, provided that the gap separation distance is sufficiently small. However, in the case of the viscous force, it is useful to consider that there are two contributions. The first is developed in the inner region of the gap and corresponds to the lubrication limit. The second is due to an integration of the pressure in the adjacent outer region of the gap. The relative contribution to the force in this outer region increases as n decreases and the separation distance increases. In particular, for flow indices in the range n>1/3, the contribution in the outer region is negligible if the separation distance is sufficiently small. For n1/3, this is the dominant term and an accurate prediction of the viscous force is possible only for discrete liquid bridges.Based on “zero” pressure and lubrication criteria for the upper limits of integration, two closed-form solutions have been derived for the viscous force. Both are accurate for n>0.5 and are in close agreement with a previously published asymptotic solution in the range n>0.6. For smaller values of n, the asymptotic solution over-estimates the viscous force and predicts a singularity when n approaches 1/3. The two closed-form solutions show continuous and monotonic behaviour for all values of n. Moreover, the solution satisfying the lubrication limit is valid in the range n<1/3 provided that it is restricted to liquid bridges.     

Free surface effects in squeeze flow of Bingham plastics

New results for the squeeze flow of Bingham plastics show the shape of the free surface in quasi-steady-state simulations, and its effect on the yielded/unyielded regions and the squeeze force. The present simulation results are obtained for both planar and axisymmetric geometries as in our previous paper [A. Matsoukas, E. Mitsoulis, Geometry effects in squeeze flow of Bingham plastics, J. Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech. 109 (2003) 231–240] and for aspect ratios ranging from 0.01 to 1. Bigger aspect ratios produce more free surface movement relative to the disk radius or plate length, but less movement relative to the gap. Planar geometries give more free surface movement than axisymmetric ones. Viscoplasticity serves to reduce the free surface movement and its deformation. In some cases of planar geometries and big aspect ratios, unyielded regions appear at the free surface, while the small unyielded regions near the center of the disks or plates are not affected. Including the free surface in the calculations of the squeeze force adds a small percentage to the values depending on aspect ratio and Bingham number. The previously fitted easy-to-use equations are corrected to account for that effect.     

Advective flow in a rotating liquid film

This paper presents a new exact solution of the Navier–Stokes equations in the Boussinesq approximation that describes thermocapillary advective flow in a slowly rotating horizontal layer of incompressible fluid with free boundaries. Such flow occurs in the case of linear temperature distribution over horizontal coordinates or in the case of heat flux distribution at the layer boundaries. The influence of the Taylor, Marangoni, Grashof, and Biot numbers on the flow and temperature velocity profiles is studied.     

Normal stress distribution in highly concentrated suspensions undergoing squeeze flow

Using pressure-sensitive films, the normal stress distribution is measured in suspensions of glass spheres in a Newtonian liquid undergoing constant-force squeeze flow. At volume fractions of solids up to 0.55, the normal stress distribution is independent of volume fraction and almost identical to the parabolic pressure distribution predicted for Newtonian fluids. However, at higher volume fractions, the normal stresses become an order of magnitude larger near the center and very low beyond that region. At these high volume fractions, the normal stresses decrease in the outer regions and increase in the inner regions as the squeezing proceeds. The normal stress distribution that results when the glass spheres without any fluid are subjected to squeeze flow is very similar to that for suspensions with volume fractions above 0.55, suggesting that the cause for the drastic changes in the normal stress distribution is the jamming of the particles in the suspension.     

Stability of a laminar film flow

The problem of the wave motion of a liquid layer was first investigated by Kapitsa [1, 2], who gave an approximate analysis of the free flow and flow in contact with gas stream, and evaluated the influence of the heat transfer processes on the flow. The problem of the stability of such a flow was studied in detail by Benjamin [3] and Yih [4, 5], These authors proposed seeking the solution of the resulting Orr-Sommerfeld equation in the form of a series in a small parameter and developed a corresponding method of successive approximations. As the small parameter [3–5], they made use of the product of the disturbance wave number and the Reynolds number. In these studies, the tangential stress on the free surface was taken equal to zero, and the fluid film was always considered essentially plane. At the same time, there are certain types of problems of considerable interest in which neither of these assumptions is satisfied. A good example might be the problem on the stability of the annular regime of two-phase flow in pipes and capillaries, when the basic stream of one fluid is separated from the pipe walls by an annular layer of another fluid. In this case, the interface has a finite radius of curvature and the tangential stress on the interface may be significantly different from zero.In the present paper, the problem of the flow stability of a fluid layer with respect to small disturbances of the boundary surface is considered with account for both the finite radius of curvature of the boundary surface and the nonzero hydrodynamic friction at the boundary. The film is assumed to be quite thin. This enables us, firstly, to consider the Reynolds number small, to use the general method of [5], and, second ly, to consider the film thickness sufficiently small in comparison with the radius of curvature of the substrate on which the film lies. Furthermore, for evaluating the stability of the laminar flow of the curved film we can use the results obtained for a plane film with account for the terms which depend on the curvature of the substrate.As a rule, previous studies have considered only one-dimensional disturbances of the boundary surface. In the present paper, in the first approximation, the stability is examined in relation to two-dimensional disturbances of this surface, corresponding to three-dimensional flow disturbances.As an example, the results obtained are applied to the investigation of the stability of the free flow of a layer of fluid over an inclined plane under the sole influence of gravity.     

Modeling radial filtration in squeeze flow of highly concentrated suspensions

Liquid-phase migration in highly concentrated suspensions undergoing constant-force squeeze flow is modeled numerically by taking into account the time and position dependence of the rheological properties due to changes in the volume fraction of solids. This is done by coupling the equation of motion for a non-Newtonian material that behaves approximately as a Bingham plastic with a continuity equation that includes diffusive flux. The developed model was first tested with experimental data and then used to study the effect of various parameters on liquid-phase migration.     

Aerodynamic analysis of circular plate-shaped and circular ring-shaped squeeze film bearings

Aerodynamics of circular plate-and circular ring-shaped squeeze film bearings isanalyzed in detail,yielding analytic expressions for the pressure distribution of thesebearings.Several formulae for these bearings are modified using the developed method.Thepaper also gives numerical results of pressure distribution and load-bearing capacities ofthese bearings.