The motion of long bubbles through viscoelastic fluids in capillary tubes

The penetration of long gas bubble through a viscoelastic fluid in a capillary tube has been studied in order to investigate the influence of viscoelastic material properties on the hydrodynamic coating thickness and local flow kinematics. Experiments are conducted for three tailored ideal elastic (Boger) fluids, designed to exhibit similar steady shear properties but substantially different elastic material functions. This allows for the isolation of elastic and extensional material effects on the bubble penetration process. The shear and extensional rheology of the fluid is characterized using rotational and filament stretching rheometers (FSR). The fluids are designed such that the steady-state extensional viscosity measured by the FSR at a Deborah number (De) greater than 1 differs over three orders of magnitude (Trouton ratio = 10³–10⁶). The experiment set up to measure the hydrodynamic coating thickness is designed to provide accurate data over a wide range of capillary numbers (0.01 < Ca < 100). The results indicate that the coating thickness in this process increases with an increase in the extensionally thickening nature of the fluid. Experiments are also conducted using several different capillary tube diameters (0.1 < D < 1 cm), in order to compare responses at similar Ca but different flow De. Suitable scaling methods and nonlinear viscoelastic constitutive equations are explored to characterize the displacement process for polymeric fluids. Bubble tip shapes at different De are recorded using a CCD camera, and measured using an edge detection algorithm. The influence of the mixed flow field on the bubble tip shape is examined. Particle tracking velocimetry experiments are conducted to compare the influence of viscoelastic properties on the velocity field in the vicinity of the bubble tip. Local shear and extension rates are calculated in the vicinity of the bubble tip from the velocity data. The results provide quantitative information on the influence of elastic and extensional properties on the bubble penetration process in gas-assisted injection molding. The bubble shape and velocity field information provides a basis for evaluating the performance of constitutive equations in mixed flow. Received: 19 January 1999 Accepted: 30 June 1999     

Observability of viscoelastic fluids

We apply the observability rank condition to study the observability of various viscoelastic fluids under imposed shear or extensional flows. In this paper the observability means the ability of determining the viscoelastic stress from the time history of the observations of the first normal stress difference. We consider four viscoelastic models: the upper convected Maxwell (UCM) model, the Phan–Thien–Tanner (PTT) model, the Johnson–Segalman (JS) model and the Giesekus model. Our study reveals that all of the four models have observability for all stress components almost everywhere under shear flow whereas under extensional flow most of the models have no observability for the shear stress component. More specifically, for UCM and JS models under imposed shear flow, the observations of the first normal stress difference allow the reconstruction of all components of viscoelastic stress. For UCM and JS models under extensional flow, the two normal stress components can be determined from the measurements of the first normal stress difference; the shear stress component does not affect the evolution of the normal stress components and consequently it cannot be extracted from the observations. Under shear flow, the PTT and Giesekus models have observability almost everywhere. That is, all components of the viscoelastic stress can be determined from the observations when the vector formed by the components of viscoelastic stress does not lie on a certain surface. Under extensional flow, the PTT model has observability almost everywhere for normal stress components whereas the Giesekus model has observability almost everywhere for all stress components. We also run simulations using the unscented Kalman filter (UKF) to reconstruct the viscoelastic stress from observations without and with noises. The UKF yields accurate and robust estimates for the viscoelastic stress both in the absence and in the presence of observation noises.     

Forced capillary breakup of liquid jets

The characteristics of the forced capillary breakup (FCB) of liquid jets have been investigated over a broad range of variation of the breakup parameters: jet orifice diameter (34–527 m), flow rate (10^–5–1 cm³/sec), and excitation amplitude and frequency. The theory is compared with experiment.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 2, pp. 53–61, March–April, 1988.The authors are grateful to E. V. Ametistov for his constant interest and assistance.     

Dynamics of vorticity stretching and breakup of isolated viscoelastic droplets in an immiscible viscoelastic matrix

The effect of droplet elasticity on transient deformation of isolated droplets in immiscible polymer blends of equal viscosity was investigated. In terms of the deformation parameter, Def*=a*–c/a*+c where a* and c are apparent drop principal axes, it undergoes two cycles of positive oscillations before reaching a negative value, followed by one cycle of oscillation before attaining a steady state negative value. This behavior was observed when Capillary number, Ca, was varied between 3 and 9 at a fixed Weissenber number, Wi, of 0.31, and when Ca number was held fixed at 8 and Wi number was varied between 0.21 and 0.40. In another blend of relatively lower Wi number of 0.21, one cycle of oscillation in Def* was observed before reaching steady state negative values when Ca number was varied between 3 and 14. The steady state Def* varies inversely with Ca number, with a stronger dependence for the blend with higher Wi number. The magnitude of oscillation increases with increasing Ca and Wi numbers. The critical Ca was found to be 12 and 14 for the two blends studied; these values are about 30 times greater than that of Newtonian blends.     

Deformation and breakup of viscoelastic drops in planar extensional flows

A computer-controlled four-roll mill was used to investigate the deformation and break-up of polymeric drops in the well-characterized flow of an immiscible Newtonian fluid. Aqueous polymer solutions ranging in concentration from 160 ppm to 3% by weight were examined. For zero-shear-rate viscosity ratios greater than order 1, the deformation of the drops closely followed that of Newtonian fluids, irrespective of the droplet material. However, drops with viscosity ratios less than order 1 had significantly smaller critical deformations and the critical capillary number was found to be substantially smaller. Two modes of drop break-up were discovered that differed substantially from that observed for Newtonian drops in the inclusion of cusped ends and tip streaming.     

Nonlinear Taylor stability of viscoelastic fluids

Using Stuart's energy method, the torque on the inner cylinder, for a second order fluid, in the supercritical regime is calculated. It is found that when the second normal stress difference is negative, the flow is more stable than for a Newtonian fluid and the torque is reduced. If the second normal stress difference is positive, then the flow is more stable and there is no torque reduction. Experimental data related to the present work are discussed.Nomenclature a amplitude of the fundamentals - A _ij ⁽¹⁾ , A _ij ⁽²⁾ first and second Rivlin-Ericksen tensors - d r ₂–r ₁ - D d/dx - E - F - g _ij metric tensor - G torque on the inner cylinder in the supercritical regime - h height of the cylinders - k ₀ /d ² - k ₁ /d ² - I ₁ - I ₂ - I ₃ - I ₄ - r ₁, r ₂ radii of inner and outer cylinders respectively - r ₀ 1/2(r ₁+r ₂) - R Reynolds number ₁ r ₁ d/ ₀ - R _c critical Reynolds number - T Taylor number r _{1 1} ² d ^{3 2}/ ₀ ² *) - T _c critical Taylor number - u ₁, v ₁, w ₁ Fundamentals of the disturbance - u _i , v _i , w _i , (i>1) harmonics - mean velocity (not laminar velocity) - u –u ₁/ar _{1 1} - v v ₁/Rar _{1 1} - x (r–r ₀)/d - , material constants - 0 viscosity - wave number d - density - ₁ angular velocity of inner cylinder - tilde denotes complex conjugate     

Numerical simulation of the nonuniform breakup of capillary jets

The problem of the evolution of the surface of a jet up to the stage at which it breaks up into droplets is solved numerically for two initial wave disturbances. The wave number of one of these coincides with the wave number of the disturbance that grows most strongly according to the linear theory, while the wave number of the other is varied. The effect of the wave numbers and the amplitude ratio of the initial disturbances on the breakup time and the appearance of nonuniformity is investigated.Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No.2, pp. 12–17, March–April, 1993.     

Nonlinear analysis of the surface tension driven breakup of viscoelastic filaments

The surface tension driven breakup of viscoelastic filaments into droplets is qualitatively different from that of Newtonian liquid filaments. Disturbances on filaments of dilute polymer solutions often grow to a configuration consisting of nascent droplets connected by a thin ligament; the breakup time for this configuration is much longer than that predicted by extensions of Rayleigh's linear stability theory. We present here a nonlinear analysis of surface tension driven breakup of viscoelastic filaments using two complementary approaches that given equivalent results: a transient finite element solution and a one-dimensional thin filament approximation. We show that significant nonlinear effects lead to the experimentally-observed nascent droplet-ligament configuration, and we predict the entire evolution of the filament profile. Agreement with available experimental data for profile evolution and breakup of jets of Newtonian fluids and dilute polymer solutions is excellent.     

Analysis of dynamical behavior of viscoelastic fluids

Summary A theoretical study is undertaken on the dynamical behaviour of viscoelastic fluids in simple shearing flow. In the present study differential-type constitutive equations are chosen in attempting to describe the dynamical behaviour of polymer solutions experimentally observed byPhilippoff. The dynamical system studied here takes into account shear rate and normal stresses as the dependent variables with shear stress kept constant during the transient period. It is found that the 3-constantOldroyd model describes qualitatively the experimentally observed behaviour.

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Zusammenfassung Es wird theoretisch das dynamische Verhalten viskoelastischer Flüssigkeiten in einer einfachen Scherströmung untersucht. Als Versuch zur Beschreibung des dynamischen Verhaltens von Polymerlösungen, die experimentell vonPhilippoff untersucht worden waren, werden hier Zustandsgieichungen vom Differentialtyp benutzt. Das hier untersuchte dynamische System berücksichtigt die Schergeschwindigkeit und die Normalspannungen als abhängige Variable von der Schubspannung, die während der Anlaufzeit konstant gehalten wird. Es zeigt sich, daß das Dreikonstantenmodell vonOldroyd das experimentell beobachtete Verhalten qualitativ beschreibt.

     

Laminar shear flow of plastic viscoelastic fluids

Summary The theory of plastic viscoelastic fluids was developed by the author to represent the rheological behavior of polymer melts and solutions with high loading of small particles. The present paper develops an asymptotic formulation of the general theory which applies to laminar shear flows. The formulation is analogous to Criminale, Ericksen and Filbey's theory for viscoelastic fluids. We apply this to study plane Poiseuille and Couette flow.With 2 tables     

Flow of viscoelastic fluids between rotating disks

Few boundary-value problems in fluid mechanics can match the attention that has been accorded to the flow of fluids, Newtonian and non-Newtonian, between parallel rotating disks rotating about a common axis or about distinct axes. An interesting feature which has been recently observed is the existence of solutions that are not axially symmetric even in the case of flow due to the rotation of disks about a common axis. In this article we review the recent efforts that have been expended in the study of both symmetric and asymmetric solutions in the case of both the classical linearly viscous fluid and viscoelastic fluids.The support of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research is gratefully acknowledged.     

A reduced simulation applied to the viscoelastic fatigue of polymers

The paper extends the use of the PGD method to viscoelastic evolution problems described by a large number of internal variables and with a large spectrum of relaxation times. The internal variables evolution is described by a set of linear differential equations that involve many time scales. The feasibility and the robustness of the method are discussed in the case of a polymer in a non-equilibrium state under creep and cyclic loading. The relationships between different time scales (loading and internal variables) are also discussed.     

Spectrum of developed turbulence of incompressible viscoelastic fluids

It is shown that fine-scale turbulent motions of a viscoelastic fluid damp out as in a viscous fluid with some effective viscosity dependent on the scale of the motion. The elasticity of deformation results in a diminution in the dissipativity of the turbulence, and hence, to an elongation of the high-frequency tail of the spectrum for a given energy influx.Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 1, pp. 23–33, January–February, 1972.     

Nonmonodisperse breakup of capillary jets in a variable electric field

The electrical charging of capillary jets has a strong influence on their stability [1–10]. Well-known theoretical studies have been devoted to the linear [1–6], weakly linear [7], or finite-amplitude [10] stability of such jets in a constant electric field. In the present paper, an investigation is made in the framework of the full nonlinear equations. The main attention is devoted to effects associated with allowance for a time-variable electric field. It is shown that a sharp decrease of the surface charge may lead to an appreciable decrease in the size of the satellite droplets; allowance for the long-wavelength background also leads to a decrease in the size of the satellite droplets. In contrast, a sharp increase of the surface charge increases the relative contribution of the satellite droplets. At the same time, introduction of small-scale background perturbations can lead to a decrease in the contribution of the fine satellite droplets and to a weakening of their reaction to a rapidly increasing electric field. It is shown that the degree of monodisperseness can be increased by a relatively slowly varying electric field. An averaged effect of an electric field that varies rapidly in time is found. Appreciable increase of the initial perturbation amplitude in the case of a periodically varying electric field can lead to an appreciable increase in the degree of monodisperseness. The introduction of short-wavelength perturbations in a periodic electric field with large amplitude of the pulsations can lead to disappearance of the satellite droplets.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 2, pp. 55–62, March–April, 1991.     

Instabilities in multi-hole converging flow of viscoelastic fluids

Studies of the onset of instabilities were conducted on single hole and multi-hole contractions using laser speckle visualization. A well characterized elastic fluid was used with constant viscosity of 13.1 Pa · s and elasticity characterized by a longest relaxation time constant of 2.233 s. The onset of instabilities was characterized in terms of the Deborah number and the contraction ratio. Three types of instabilities were observed: pulsing vortices, azimuthally rotating vortices, and swirling vortices. For the single hole contractions the critical Deborah number for instability increased from 4.4 to 5.07 to 5.25 as the contraction ratio increased from 4: 1 to 8: 1 to 12: 1. The magnitude of the instabilities was much greater for the 4: 1 contraction than for the other two contraction ratios. For the multi-hole contraction a square array of nine holes was used and the ratio of the hole diameter to hole spacing was varied. The height of the vortices is very similar for the single hole and multi-hole contractions at low Deborah numbers. At high Deborah numbers the effect of adjacent holes is to reduce the height of the vortices by a factor of three. For the 4: 1 spacing no secondary vortex was observed below a Deborah number of De = 3.7. Secondary vortices occurred for the 8:1 and 10:1 spacing at all Deborah numbers. Unstable pulsing vortices appeared for all spacings at a critical Deborah number around 5.5. Adjacent holes decreased the strength of the unsteady vortex motions. The centerline velocities were measured for the multi-hole contraction at shear rates of 5, 30, and 300 s^–1. The elongational strain rates are similar at a low shear rate of 5 s^–1. As shear rate is increased the onset of stretching occurs closer to the plane of the contraction for the smaller contraction ratios.     

Universal relations for instantaneous deformations of viscoelastic fluids

The note considers viscoelastic fluids which undergo an instantaneous homogeneous deformation consisting of shear superposed on triaxial extension. Two relations involving the stress and deformation components are presented, which are valid for all such fluids, and hence are termed “universal relations”. The first contains the Lodge-Meissner relation as a special case; the second arises when a block is deformed by shear traction only. It relates dimensional changes to the amount of shear.     

Nonlinear viscoelastic properties of MR fluids under large-amplitude-oscillatory-shear

Nonlinear viscoelastic properties of the MR fluid, MRF-132LD, under large-amplitude oscillatory shear were investigated. This was accomplished by carrying out the experiments under the amplitude sweep mode and the frequency sweep mode, using a rheometer with parallel-plate geometry. Investigations under the influence of various magnetic field strength and temperatures were also conducted. MR fluids behave as nonlinear viscoelastic or viscoplastic materials when they are subjected to large-amplitude shear, where the storage modulus decreases rapidly with increasing strain amplitude. Hence, MR fluid behaviour ranges from predominantly elastic at small strain amplitudes to viscous at high strain amplitudes. Large-amplitude oscillatory shear measurements with frequency sweep mode reveal that the storage modulus is independent of oscillation frequency and approaches plateau values at low frequencies. With increasing frequency, the storage modulus shows a decreasing trend before increasing again. This trend may be explained by micro-structural variation. In addition, the storage modulus increases gradually with increasing field strength but it shows a slightly decreasing trend with temperature.     

The motion of rigid particles in viscoelastic fluids

In this paper, we study the motion of a rigid particle in a viscoelastic fluid under the assumption of negligible inertial effects (based on particle dimensions). Concentrating solely upon situations where no change of orientation or position of the particle is possible in a Newtonian solvent, it suffices to consider the low Weissenberg number limit. By employing the concept of a second-order-fluid, the theoretical predictions for a single particle in an essentially unbounded domain correlate quite well with experimental results. As soon as interaction effects (particle—particle and particle—wall, respectively) are included in the theory, all predictions are at odds with the observations.