Tangential discontinuities of parameters of a polar fluid under shear strain

Possible formation of tangential discontinuities of parameters of a deformable polar fluid is examined by the example of glycerin. It is experimentally established that glycerin under weak shear loads possesses the properties of a non-Newtonian elastoviscoplastic fluid, and formation of tangential discontinuities in viscosity is possible. In the discontinuity region, glycerin has the properties of a low-viscosity fluid, and the structure of the medium is reconstructed after unloading. A rheological equation of the examined fluid is derived, which allows one to analyze the behavior of the medium in different modes of its deformation, including the formation of a local region with reduced viscosity and a tensile stress field. __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 46, No. 3, pp. 41–49, May–June, 2005.