Experiments on elongational flow of dilute polymer solutions: Part II: velocity field for the flow through small apertures

Following Part I which reported on the jet reaction and the excess pressure drop, this paper describes the results of flow velocities measured upstream of small apertures for dilute polymer solutions. The results suggest the existence of the two flow regimes reorted by Boger and Cable: the vortex growth regime and the divergent flow regime. The former corresponds to the regime of zero jet reaction and the latter to the regime of positive jet reaction. The axial velocity development for PEO solutions along the center line upstream of the aperture is found to yield an extremely high velocity rise at the onset of the vortex region and to give a nearly constant elongational rate within the vortex region. The constant elongational rate takes values such that the product with the relaxation time is about 0.5. Separan solutions do not provide so high a velocity rise at the onset of the vortex region but show an exponential rate of elongation in the vortex region.It is shown, by using the upper convected Maxwell model, that the steep velocity rise at the onset of the vortex region is given in the simplified flow model and the constant elongational rate within the vortex region holds the elongational stress nearly constant.