The flow past a sphere in a cylindrical tube: effects of intertia,shear-thinning and elasticity

Numerical solutions are presented for the flow past a sphere placed at the centreline of a cylindrical tube for Reynolds numbers ranging from 0 to 150, using a boundary element method. Fluids are modelled by a variety of constitutive equations including the Newtonian, the Carreau and the Phan-Thien-Tanner models. The influence of inertia, shear-thinning and fluid elasticity on the flow field, drag and the pressure drop force-drag ratio is examined. Some results are compared with available experimental data.     

A note on the periodic motion of a visco-elastic fluid in a radially non-symmetric constricted tube

An approximate solution for the problem of fluid flow through a rigid tube with a mild constriction is given. It is assumed that the fluid is visco-elastic (Maxwell fluid) and the constriction is non-symmetric with respect to the radial distance. A theoretical result is given for the wall shear stress and numerical solutions are shown graphically for different values of the relaxation time and the shape parameter of the constriction profile.     

Boundary element simulations of spheres settling in circular,square and triangular conduits

Numerical simulations of a spherical particle sedimenting in circular, triangular and square conduits containing a viscous, inertialess, Newtonian fluid were investigated using the Boundary Element Method (BEM). Settling velocities and pressure drops for spheres falling along the centre-lines of the conduits were computed for a definitive range of sphere sizes. The numerical simulations for the settling velocities showed good agreement with existing experimental data. The most accurate analytic solution for a sphere settling along the axis of a circular conduit produced results which were almost indistinguishable from the present BEM calculations. For a sphere falling along the centre-line of a square conduit, the BEM calculations for small spheres agreed well with analytic results. No analytic results for a sphere falling along the axis of a triangular conduit were available for comparison. Extrapolation of the BEM predictions for the pressure drops, to infinitely small spheres, showed remarkable agreement with analytic results. For the circular conduit, the sphere's settling velocity and angular velocity were computed as a function of drop position for small, medium and large spheres. Excellent agreement with a reflection solution was achieved for the small sphere. In addition, end effects were investigated for centre-line drops and compared where possible with available experimental data and analytic results.Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA.     

The squeezing flow of a model suspension fluid

The paper is concerned with the squeezing flow of a model suspension fluid. The numerical solution obtained by a time-dependent Boundary Element Method is compared to an asymptotic solution at large radius. It is found that the kinematics are Newtonian in character, and the fibres quickly align themselves radially. Consequently, the squeezing force is only weakly dependent on the initial orientations of the fibres and the device can be used for measuring the effective viscosity of the suspension. The effective viscosity found from the squeezing flow agrees surprisingly well with experimental data and numerical data derived from the falling sphere geometry at low volume fractions ( < 0.1).     

Rubber-like elasticity by boundary element method: Finite deformation of a circular elastic slice

We briefly review the phenomenological theory of rubber-like elasticity and report a microstructural model that leads us to eventually adopt a particular constitutive equation, which includes the Neo-Hookean and the Mooney materials. A numerical implementation of the Boundary Element method for solving a general two-dimensional or axisymmetric finite deformation problem is described and tested with some simple deformations. The resulting program is used to analyse the finite deformation of a circular elastic slice perfectly bonded to two parallel rigid end plates; the bottom plate is stationary and the top plate is given a constant displacement. The problem has a free surface which must be found as part of the solution. The results indicate that the Boundary Element method can be an efficient tool for stress-strain analyses with rubber-like materials.     

A numerical comparison of two decoupled methods for the simulation of viscoelastic fluid flows

Two decoupled methods for the finite element solution of the planar stick-slip transition problem with Oldroyd-B fluids, namely the method of characteristics and the Lesaint-Raviart technique, are presented and compared. These procedures are used for the local treatment of the stress transport equation imbedded in the constitutive law and allow the approximation of stresses with discontinuous shape functions. Computations are carried out up to a Deborah number of 4 and the methods are shown to yield fairly similar results.     

The viscoelastic constitutive differential operator law in terms of the relaxation and retardation spectra

The case of a linear viscoelastic medium is considered. The Carson transforms of the relaxation and retardation functions are expressed in two different ways, taking on the one hand the differential operator form of the constitutive equation, and on the other hand the generalized mechanical models. By identification we deduce general explicit expressions for the constant coefficients of the differential operator law, in terms of the discrete relaxation and retardation spectra.     

Comments on the paper “On the derivation of the constitutive equation of the simple fluid from that of a simple material” by R.R. Huilgol

Huilgol's paper [1] is discussed critically. It is shown that there are significant errors in each section of the paper. His argument depends critically on a refusal to recognize that when a statement is made that a functional of a tensor function is invariant under a group of transformations, these transformations must be constants and that otherwise the statement is meaningless. Furthermore, he consistently ignores the contradictions to which this refusal leads.     

Small deformation viscoelastic response of gum and highly filled elastomers

Small deformation viscoelastic response has been investigated in a series of five elastomeric binders, both with and without nonreinforcing filler. The filled systems were found to be both nonlinear viscoelastic and thermorheologically complex. These behaviors suggest the existence of a secondary relaxation process. The origin of this secondary process was modeled as an interphase of polymer weakly adsorbed on the filler surface. Decomposition of timetemperature shift factors for filled vs unfilled properties showed that the mechanical response of this interphase followed Arrhenius behavior. Measured activation energies ranged from 24 to 76kJ/mole, depending on the cohesiveenergy density of the elastomeric binder. Finally, these activation energies were related to the strain amplitude dependent nonlinear factors for the polymeric systems which contained no polar groups in their backbone, suggesting that in these systems both the nonlinear and thermorheologically complex nature of the filled materials' viscoelastic response originate from relaxations within this interphase.     

On the derivation of the constitutive equation of the simple fluid from that of a simple material

It is shown, by the use of the symmetry group of a fluid, that the stress in an elastic fluid depends on the current value of the deformation gradient through the absolute value of the determinant of the deformation gradient, whereas in a simple fluid it depends on this value of the determinant and the history of the relative deformation gradient and nothing else. This derivation is then used to show some of the errors in the criticisms made about the work of Noll. Additionally, a lacuna in Noll's derivation is removed to overcome the only valid criticism made about this theory of simple fluids.     

The motion of rodlike particles in the pressure-driven flow between two flat plates

The motion of freely suspended rodlike particles has been observed in the pressure-driven flow between the two flat plates of a Hele Shaw flow cell at low Reynolds numbers. Data are reported for rodlike particles with aspect ratios of 12.0 suspended in a Newtonian fluid for gap thickness to particle length ratios of 3, 6, and 20; and for rodlike particles with aspect ratios between 5 and 8 in a non-Newtonian fluid (79.25 wt.% water, 20.2 wt.% glycerine, and 0.55 wt.% polyacrylamide). For the Newtonian fluid, the time-dependent orientation of the particles near and far from walls was shown to be in quantitative agreement with Jeffery's theory for ellipsoids suspended in a simple shear flow if an effective aspect ratio is calculated from the experimental period of rotation. Particles aligned with the flow direction and less than a particle half-length from a wall interacted irreversibly with the wall. For the non-Newtonian fluid, the timedependent orientation far from a wall was shown to be in qualitative agreement with Leal's theory for a second-order fluid; however, particles that were aligned with the flow direction and were near walls did not rotate.     

A model for the thermorheological behavior of viscoelastic fluids

Using a power-law ansatz for the temperature dependence of the shear modulus on the level of internal variables, the thermorheological behavior is modeled for viscoelastic fluids of a special group of rheological constitutive equations (rate-type models). The model parameter introduced characterizes thermoelastic contributions. The relation between the model parameter and the physical quantities appearing in deformation processes is discussed. Based on the chosen temperature dependence of the shear modulus, thermodynamically consistent equations like the nonlinear rheological constitutive equation and the temperature equation are derived. The special cases of entirely entropy and energy elastic fluids are also considered. The thermorheological behavior (exo-, - or endothermal processes) of a viscoelastic fluid in a stress-growth experiment followed by relaxation is analyzed with respect to the model parameter.     

An anomalous phenomenon occurring in the flow of viscoelastic fluids out of ducts

When viscoelastic fluids flow out from horizontal ducts many cracks and protruding ridges are formed on the jet surface. As far as the authors know, this phenomenon has not yet been reported. The occurrence of the anomalous phenomenon is not affected by inlet flow condition or duct shape.The phenomenon may be divided into three regimes, namely, a stable state, a breakage state, and a multiplication state. In the breakage state one ridge divides into two parts after its growth, and in the multiplication state a new ridge is suddenly formed at a crack point. With increasing shear rate, the flow pattern of the jet changes from the stable state to the breakage state, and then to the multiplication state.Furthermore, a recoil effect is observed. In this effect many air bubbles rush into the duct from the exit when the flow is quickly stopped.     

An investigation of the viscoelastic properties of molten polypropylene

Two series of polypropylene samples of different molecular weight, the first obtained directly from polymerization reactions and the second from controlled thermal degradation, were studied by dynamic testing in the melt state. Several viscoelastic parameters were determined, and correlated with weight-average molecular weightM _w . It is found that theM _w -dependence of the two series is rather different.     

Viscous heating correction for thermally developing flows in slit die viscometry

In the thermally developing region, d _yy /dx| _y=h varies along the flow direction x, where _yy denotes the component of stress normal to the y-plane; y = ±h at the die walls. A finite element method for two-dimensional Newtonian flow in a parallel slit was used to obtain an equation relating d _yy /dx/ _y=h and the wall shear stress ₀ at the inlet; isothermal slit walls were used for the calculation and the inlet liquid temperature T₀ was assumed to be equal to the wall temperature. For a temperature-viscosity relation /₀ = [1+(T–T₀]^–1, a simple expression [(hd _yy /dx/ _y=h )/ _w0] = 1–[1-F _c(Na)] [M()+P(Pr) ·Q(Gz ^–1)] was found to hold over the practical range of parameters involved, where Na, Gz, and Pr denote the Nahme-Griffith number, Graetz number, and Prandtl number; is a dimensionless variable which depends on Na and Gz. An order-of-magnitude analysis for momentum and energy equations supports the validity of this expression. The function F _c(Na) was obtained from an analytical solution for thermally developed flow; F _c(Na) = 1 for isothermal flow. M(), P(Pr), and Q(Gz) were obtained by fitting numerical results with simple equations. The wall shear rate at the inlet can be calculated from the flow rate Q using the isothermal equation.Notation x,y Cartesian coordinates (Fig. 2) - , dimensionless spatial variables [Eq. (16)] - dimensionless variable, : = Gz(x)^–1 - dimensionless variable [Eq. (28)] - t,t ^* time, dimensionless time [Eq. (16)] - , velocity vector, dimensionless velocity vector - _x , velocity in x-direction, dimensionless velocity - _y , velocity in y-direction, dimensionless velocity - V average velocity in x-direction - _yy , ^* normal stress on y-planes, dimensionless normal stress - shear stress on y-planes acting in x-direction - _w , _w ^* value of shear stress stress at the wall, dimensionless wall shear stress - _w0, _w0 ^* wall shear stress at the inlet, dimensionless variable - , ^* rate-of-strain tensor, dimensionless tensor - wall shear rate, wall shear rate at the inlet - Q flow rate - T, T ₀, temperature, temperature at the wall and at the inlet, dimensionless temperature - h, w half the die height, width of the die - l,L the distance between the inlet and the slot region, total die length - T ₂, T ₃, T ₄ pressure transducers in the High Shear Rate Viscometer (HSRV) (Fig. 1) - P, P2, P3 pressure, liquid pressures applied to T ₂ and T ₃ - , ₀, ^* viscosity, viscosity at T = T ₀, dimensionless viscosity - viscosity-temperature coefficient [Eq. (8)] - k thermal conductivity - C _p specific heat at constant pressure - Re Reynolds number - Na Nahme-Griffith number - Gz Graetz number - Pr Prandtl number     

Measurement of rheological and ultrasonic properties of food and synthetic polymer melts

A slit die viscometer has been used in conjunction with a co-rotating twin screw extruder to study the rheological behaviour of maize grits, potato powder and low density polyethylene, as a function of feed rate, screw speed and temperature. The shear viscosity of both maize and potato decreased with increasing feed rate. Increasing the temperature or screw speed at any given feed rate also reduced the viscosity. The ultrasonic velocity through the material has also been shown to be sensitive to the extruder operating conditions. Overall, the ultrasonic velocity decreased as screw speed and temperature increased and feed rate decreased.     

On the flow resistance of viscoelastic fluids through packed beds

Analytical solutions are obtained for the free surface cell model of packed beds using a third order fluid. Second order perturbed results indicate a substantial increase in resistance to the flow of a viscoelastic fluid through a packed bed. This predicted increase is in good agreement with experimental findings.     

A slit viscometer for the measurement of the viscosity of aqueous systems at high temperatures

A slit viscometer has been constructed to measure the viscosity of aqueous systems at temperatures up to 140 °C. Liquid is forced backwards and forwards through the slit by the use of varying air pressure. The flow rate is obtained from the time for the liquid to pass conductivity probes located in liquid reservoirs either side of the slit. The pressure difference between two points on the slit wall is determined using a differential pressure transducer. By varying the slit height measurements can be made on liquids with viscosities in the range 10 to 10^–3 Pa s. Shear rates from 10 to 10⁴ s^–1 can be achieved. A simple microcomputer control system enables the shear stress to be automatically increased and decreased stepwise. Representative data on polysaccharide solutions and strach suspensions are presented. The viscometer is particularly well-suited for following temperature-dependent biopolymer transitions and the thermal depolymerisation of water soluble polymers.