Computation of flow of viscoelastic fluids by parameter differentiation

A technique combining the features of parameter differentiation and finite differences is presented to compute the flow of viscoelastic fluids. Two flow problems are considered: (i) three-dimensional flow near a stagnation point and (ii) axisymmetric flow due to stretching of a sheet. Both flows are characterized by a boundary value problem in which the order of the differential equation exceeds the number of boundary conditions. The exact numerical solutions are obtained using the technique described in the paper. Also, the first-order perturbation solutions (in terms of the viscoelastic fluid parameter) are derived. A comparison of the results shows that the perturbation method is inadequate in predicting some of the vital characteristic features of the flows, which can possibly be revealed only by the exact numerical solution.     

Post-buckling analysis of slender elastic vertical rods subjected to terminal forces and self-weight

This article presents the behavior of slender elastic rods subjected to axial terminal forces and self-weight. The mathematical formulation is presented, a solution is sought for a double-hinged boundary condition and the analysis is carried out for different values of non-dimensional weight. The formulation derives from geometrical compatibility, equilibrium of forces and moments and constitutive relations yielding a set of six first order non-linear ordinary differential equations with boundary conditions specified at both ends, which characterizes a complex two-point boundary value problem. Furthermore, a perturbation method is used to find the critical buckling loads and initial post-buckling solutions. A numerical integration scheme based on a three parameter shooting method is employed in the post-buckling solutions.     

MHD free convective flow past semi-infinite vertical permeable wall

In this paper,the basic equations governing the flow and heat transfer of an incompressible viscous and electrically conducting fluid past a semi-infinite vertical permeable plate in the form of partial differential equations are reduced to a set of non-linear ordinary differential equations by applying a suitable similarity transformation.Approximate solutions of the transformed equations are obtained by employing the perturbation method for two cases,i.e.,small and large values of the suction parameter.From the numerical evaluations of the solution,it can be seen that the velocity field at any point decreases as the values of the magnetic and suction parameters increase.The effect of the magnetic parameter is to increase the thermal boundary layer.It is also found that the velocity and temperature fields decrease with the increase in the sink parameter.     

Unsteady flow of a fourth-grade fluid due to an oscillating plate

The governing non-linear high-order, sixth-order in space and third-order in time, differential equation is constructed for the unsteady flow of an incompressible conducting fourth-grade fluid in a semi-infinite domain. The unsteady flow is induced by a periodically oscillating two-dimensional infinite porous plate with suction/blowing, located in a uniform magnetic field. It is shown that by augmenting additional boundary conditions at infinity based on asymptotic structures and transforming the semi-infinite physical space to a bounded computational domain by means of a coordinate transformation, it is possible to obtain numerical solutions of the non-linear magnetohydrodynamic equation. In particular, due to the unsymmetry of the boundary conditions, in numerical simulations non-central difference schemes are constructed and employed to approximate the emerging higher-order spatial derivatives. Effects of material parameters, uniform suction or blowing past the porous plate, exerted magnetic field and oscillation frequency of the plate on the time-dependent flow, especially on the boundary layer structure near the plate, are numerically analysed and discussed. The flow behaviour of the fourth-grade non-Newtonian fluid is also compared with those of the Newtonian fluid.     

Accurate analytical perturbation approach for large amplitude vibration of functionally graded beams

The present work derives the accurate analytical solutions for large amplitude vibration of thin functionally graded beams. In accordance with the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory and the von Kármán type geometric non-linearity, the second-order ordinary differential equation having odd and even non-linearities can be formulated through Hamilton's principle and Galerkin's procedure. This ordinary differential equation governs the non-linear vibration of functionally graded beams with different boundary constraints. Building on the original non-linear equation, two new non-linear equations with odd non-linearity are to be constructed. Employing a generalised Senator–Bapat perturbation technique as an ingenious tool, two newly formulated non-linear equations can be solved analytically. By selecting the appropriate piecewise approximate solutions from such two new non-linear equations, the analytical approximate solutions of the original non-linear problem are established. The present solutions are directly compared to the exact solutions and the available results in the open literature. Besides, some examples are selected to confirm the accuracy and correctness of the current approach. The effects of boundary conditions and vibration amplitudes on the non-linear frequencies are also discussed.     

An existence theorem for the flow of a non-newtonian fluid past an infinite porous plate

Non-Newtonian fluid mechanics affords an excellent opportunity for studying many of the mathematical methods which have been developed to analyse non-linear problems in mechanics. The flow of an incompressible fluid of grade three past an infinite porous flat plate, subject to suction at the plate, is governed by a non-linear differential equation that is particularly well suited to demonstrate the power and usefulness of three such techniques. We establish an existence theorem using shooting methods. Next, we investigate the problem using a perturbation analysis. It is not clear that the perturbation solution converges and thus may not be the appropriate solution for a certain range of a material constant (which is not the perturbation parameter). Finally, we employ a numerical method which is particularly suited to the problem in question.     

Heat and mass transfer by natural convection at a stagnation point in a porous medium considering Soret and Dufour effects

Dufour and Soret effects on flow at a stagnation point in a fluid-saturated porous medium are studied in this paper. A two dimensional stagnation-point flow with suction/injection of a Darcian fluid is considered. By using an appropriate similarity transformation, the boundary layer equations of momentum, energy and concentration are reduced to a set of ordinary differential equations, which are solved numerically using the Keller-box method, which is a very efficient finite differences technique. Nusselt and Sherwood numbers are obtained, together with the velocity, temperature and concentration profiles in the boundary layer. For the large suction case, asymptotic analytical solutions of the problem are obtained, which compare favourably with the numerical solutions. A critical view of the problem is presented finally.     

Flow of viscoelastic fluids through a porous channel—I

The flow of viscoelastic fluids through a porous channel with one impermeable wall is computed. The flow is characterized by a boundary value problem in which the order of the differential equation exceeds the number of boundary conditions. Three solutions are developed: (i) an exact numerical solution, (ii) a perturbation solution for small R, the cross-flow Reynold's number and (iii) an asymptotic solution for large R. The results from exact numerical integration reveal that the solutions for a non-Newtonian fluid are possible only up to a critical value of the viscoelastic fluid parameter, which decreases with an increase in R. It is further demonstrated that the perturbation solution gives acceptable results only if the viscoelastic fluid parameter is also small. Two more related problems are considered: fluid dynamics of a long porous slider, and injection of fluid through one side of a long vertical porous channel. For both the problems, exact numerical and other solutions are derived and appropriate conclusions drawn.     

An analytical solution for the laminar flow over a flat plate with similarity preserving suction

An exact analytical solution is presented for the laminar boundary-layer flow over a semi-infinite flat plate subjected to a type of similarity preserving suction. The solution is developed for the case of a plate immersed in either a uniform compressible stream with viscosity proportional to temperature or a uniform incompressible stream with constant viscosity. The problem is formulated in Crocco's variables. It is described by a second-order, non-linear, ordinary differential (and singular) boundary-value problem for the shear stress as a function of the velocity in the boundary layer. A unique solution is shown to exist and to possess a power series representation for all magnitudes of suction. The series is constructed explicitly and provides a transcendental equation for the shear stress at the plate (the important skin friction) which can be solved to any desired accuracy. Examples of upper and lower bounds for the wall shear are presented for several magnitudes of suction and confirm the reasonable accuracy of results obtained heretofore only by numerical solutions of the problem. In addition to the intrinsic value of the technique developed, it can be the basis of accurate checks for the numerical solution of more complex problems.     

Analysis of a laminar boundary layer flow over a flat plate with injection or suction

An analysis is performed to study a laminar boundary layer flow over a porous flat plate with injection or suction imposed at the wall. The basic equations of this problem are reduced to a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations by means of appropriate transformations. These equations are solved analytically by the optimal homotopy asymptotic method (OHAM), and the solutions are compared with the numerical solution (NS). The effect of uniform suction/injection on the heat transfer and velocity profile is discussed. A constant surface temperature in thermal boundary conditions is used for the horizontal flat plate.     

Flow through a porous annulus

Summary The problem of laminar flow through a porous annulus with constant velocity of suction at the walls and with swirl is reduced to the solution of four non-linear differential equations. The significance of each of these equations is discussed. By taking the swirl to be zero series solutions are obtained for (i) small suction or blowing (ii) when the total flow into the channel through the walls is small. Finally the asymptotic behaviour of the flow for large suction or blowing is discussed.     

Post-buckling analysis of slender elastic rods subjected to terminal forces

This paper presents formulation and solutions for the elastica of slender rods subjected to axial terminal forces and boundary conditions assumed hinged and elastically restrained with a rotational spring. The set of five first-order non-linear ordinary differential equations with boundary conditions specified at both ends constitutes a complex two-point boundary value problem. Solutions for buckling, initial post-buckling (perturbation), large loads (asymptotic) and numerical integration are developed. Results are presented in non-dimensional graphs for a range of rotational spring stiffness, tuning the analysis from double-hinged to hinged-built-in rods.     

A unified compatibility method for exact solutions of non-linear flow models of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids

Criteria are established for higher order ordinary differential equations to be compatible with lower order ordinary differential equations. Necessary and sufficient compatibility conditions are derived which can be used to construct exact solutions of higher order ordinary differential equations subject to lower order equations. We provide the connection to generalized groups through conditional symmetries. Using this approach of compatibility and generalized groups, new exact solutions of non-linear flow problems arising in the study of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids are derived. The ansatz approach for obtaining exact solutions for non-linear flow models of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids is unified with the application of the compatibility and generalized group criteria.     

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.     

Some Steady MHD Flows of the Second Order Fluid

The exact analytic solutions of two problems of a second order fluid in presence of a uniform transverse magnetic field are investigated. The governing equation is of fourth order ordinary differential equation and is solved using perturbation method. In the first problem we discuss the flow of a second order fluid due to non-coaxial rotations of a porous disk and a fluid at infinity. In second problem the flow of a second order conducting fluid between two infinite plates rotating about the same axis is investigated, with suction or blowing along the axial direction. For second order conducting fluid it is observed that asymptotic solution exists for the velocity both in the case of suction and blowing.     

The Lie-group shooting method for boundary-layer problems with suction/injection/reverse flow conditions for power-law fluids

For power-law fluids we propose a Lie-group shooting method to tackle the boundary-layer problems under a suction/injection as well as a reverse flow boundary conditions. The Crocco transformation is employed to reduce the third-order equation to a second-order ordinary differential equation, and then through a symmetric extension to a boundary value problem with constant boundary conditions, which can be solved numerically by the Lie-group shooting method. However, the resulting equation is singular, which might be difficult to solve, and we propose a technique to overcome the initial impulse caused by the singularity using a very small time-step integration at the first few time steps. Because we can express the missing initial condition through a closed-form formula in terms of the weighting factor r∈(0,1), the Lie-group shooting method is very effective for searching the multiple-solutions of a reverse flow boundary condition.     

Boundary layer flow of Reiner-Philippoff fluids

An analysis is made of the boundary layer flow of Reiner-Philippoff fluids. This work is an extension of a previous analysis by Hansen and Na [A.G. Hansen and T.Y. Na, Similarity solutions of laminar, incompressible boundary layer equations of non-Newtonian fluids. ASME 67-WA/FE-2, presented at the ASME Winter Annual Meeting, November (1967)], where the existence of similar solutions of the boundary layer equations of a class of general non-Newtonian fluids were investigated. It was found that similarity solutions exist only for the case of flow over a 90° wedge and, being similar, the solution of the non-linear boundary layer equations can be reduced to the solution of non-linear ordinary differential equations. In this paper, the more general case of the boundary layer flow of Reiner-Philippoff fluids over other body shapes will be considered. A general formulation is given which makes it possible to solve the boundary layer equations for any body shape by a finite-difference technique. As an example, the classical solution of the boundary layer flow over a flat plate, known as the Blasius solution, will be considered. Numerical results are generated for a series of values of the parameters in the Reiner-Philippoff model.     

Laminar flow through a channel with uniformly porous walls of different permeability

Summary The steady laminar flow of a viscous incompressible fluid through a two-dimensional channel, having fluid sucked or injected with different velocities through its uniformly porous parallel walls is considered. A solution for small suction Reynolds number has been given by the authors in a previous paper. The purpose of this paper is to present a solution valid for large Reynolds numbers for the cases of (i) suction at both walls, and (ii) suction at one wall and injection at the other. A technique of matching outer and inner expansions is used to obtain an asymptotic solution for both of these cases. Further a perturbation solution for the case of suction at one wall and injection at the other is obtained by choosing the difference between two wall velocities as the perturbation parameter. Both asymptotic and perturbation solutions are confirmed by exact numerical solutions. As expected, the resulting solutions show the presence of the usual suction boundary layers in both types of flow considered in this paper.     

On the non-linear vibrations of a circular membrane

Free axisymmetric vibrations of a stretched circular membrane are studied using a membrane theory consisting of a pair of non-linear partial differential equations coupled between the transverse and radial displacements of the membrane. A systematic perturbation method, in which the amplitude of the transverse displacement is taken as the perturbation parameter, is used to obtain periodic solutions of the non-linear equations. The initial membrane strain enters the problem as a parameter which is allowed to vary over a range of values. A case of self-resonance is encountered when the initial membrane strain approaches some critical values. This self-resonance case is also treated through an appropriate modification of the perturbation method.     

Numerical solutions for the flow of a fluid of grade three past an infinite porous plate

This paper presents a numerical study of the flow of an incompressible fluid of grade three past an infinite porous flat plate, subject to suction at the plate. This flow is governed by a non-linear differential equation that is particularly well suited to demonstrate the power and usefulness of different numerical techniques. In this work, the numerical solutions are obtained using a Runge-Kutta method of fourth order. The accuracy of the method for this problem is demonstrated.