Finite amplitude long-wave instability of a thin viscoelastic fluid during spin coating

This paper investigates the stability of a thin incompressible viscoelastic fluid designated as Walters’ liquid B″ during spin coating. The long-wave perturbation method is proposed to derive a generalized kinematic model of the film flow. The method of normal mode is applied to study the linear stability. The amplitude growth rates and the threshold conditions are characterized subsequently and summarized as the by-products of the linear solutions. Using the multiple scales method, the weakly nonlinear stability analysis is studied for the evolution equation of a film flow. The Ginzburg–Landau equation is determined to discuss the threshold conditions of the various critical flow states. The study reveals that the rotation number and the radius of the rotating circular disk generate the destabilizing effects. Moreover, the viscoelastic parameter k indeed plays a more significant role in destabilizing the film flow than a thin Newtonian fluid during spin coating [27].