No Arabic abstract
In this work we consider theoretically the problem of a Newtonian droplet moving in an otherwise quiescent infinite viscoelastic fluid under the influence of an externally applied temperature gradient. The outer fluid is modelled by the Oldroyd-B equation, and the problem is solved for small Weissenberg and Capillary numbers in terms of a double perturbation expansion. We assume microgravity conditions and neglect the convective transport of energy and momentum. We derive expressions for the droplet migration speed and its shape in terms of the properties of both fluids. In the absence of shape deformation, the droplet speed decreases monotonically for sufficiently viscous inner fluids, while for fluids with a smaller inner-to-outer viscosity ratio, the droplet speed first increases and then decreases as a function of the Weissenberg number. For small but finite values of the Capillary number, the droplet speed behaves monotonically as a function of the applied temperature gradient for a fixed ratio of the Capillary and Weissenberg numbers. We demonstrate that this behaviour is related to the polymeric stresses deforming the droplet in the direction of its migration, while the associated changes in its speed are Newtonian in nature, being related to a change in the droplets hydrodynamic resistance and its internal temperature distribution. When compared to the results of numerical simulations, our theory exhibits a good predictive power for sufficiently small values of the Capillary and Weissenberg numbers.
A fluid dynamics video of the break up of a droplet of saliva is shown. First a viscoelastic filament is formed and than the blistering of this filament is shown. Finally, a flow induced phase separation takes place nanometer sized solid fiber remains that consist out of the biopolymers.
The unsteady, lineal translation of a solid spherical particle through viscoelastic fluids described by the Johnson-Segalman and Giesekus models is studied analytically. Solutions for the pressure and velocity fields as well as the force on the particle are expanded as a power series in the Weissenberg number. The momentum balance and constitutive equation are solved asymptotically for a steadily translating particle up to second order in the particle velocity, and rescaling of the pressure and velocity in the frequency domain is used to relate the solutions for steady lineal translation to those for unsteady lineal translation. The unsteady force at third order in the particle velocity is then calculated through application of the Lorentz reciprocal theorem, and it is shown that this weakly nonlinear contribution to the force can be expressed as part of a Volterra series. Through a series of examples, it is shown that a truncated representation of this Volterra series, which can be manipulated to describe the velocity in terms of an imposed force, is useful for analyzing specific time-dependent particle motions. Two examples studied using this relationship are the force on a particle suddenly set into motion and the velocity of a particle in response to a suddenly imposed steady force. Additionally, the weakly nonlinear response of particle captured by a harmonic trap moving lineally through the fluid is computed. This is an analog to active microrheology experiments, and can be used to explain how weakly nonlinear responses manifest in active microrheology experiments with spherical probes.
We report the generation of directed self-propelled motion of a droplet of aniline oil with a velocity on the order of centimeters per second on an aqueous phase. It is found that, depending on the initial conditions, the droplet shows either circular or beeline motion in a circular Petri dish. The motion of a droplet depends on volume of the droplet and concentration of solution. The velocity decreases when volume of the droplet and concentration of solution increase. Such unique motion is discussed in terms of Marangoni-driven spreading under chemical nonequilibrium. The simulation reproduces the mode of motion in a circular Petri dish.
We study fluid-structure interactions (FSIs) in a long and shallow microchannel, conveying a non-Newtonian fluid, at steady state. The microchannel has a linearly elastic and compliant top wall, while its three other walls are rigid. The fluid flowing inside the microchannel has a shear-dependent viscosity described by the power-law rheological model. We employ lubrication theory to solve for the flow problem inside the long and shallow microchannel. For the structural problem, we employ two plate theories, namely Kirchhoff-Love theory of thin plates and Reissner-Mindlin first-order shear deformation theory. The hydrodynamic pressure couples the flow and deformation problem by acting as a distributed load onto the soft top wall. Within our perturbative (lubrication theory) approach, we determine the relationship between flow rate and the pressure gradient, which is a nonlinear first-order ordinary differential equation for the pressure. From the solution of this differential equation, all other quantities of interest in non-Newtonian microchannel FSIs follow. Through illustrative examples, we show the effect of FSI coupling strength and the plate thickness on the pressure drop across the microchannel. Through direct numerical simulation of non-Newtonian microchannel FSIs using commercial computational engineering tools, we benchmark the prediction from our mathematical prediction for the flow rate-pressure drop relation and the structural deformation profile of the top wall. In doing so, we also establish the limits of applicability of our perturbative theory.
The need to develop models to predict the motion of microrobots, or robots of a much smaller scale, moving in fluids in a low Reynolds number regime, and in particular, in non Newtonian fluids, cannot be understated. The article develops a Lagrangian based model for one such mechanism - a two-link mechanism termed a microscallop, moving in a low Reynolds number environment in a non Newtonian fluid. The modelling proceeds through the conventional Lagrangian construction for a two-link mechanism and then goes on to model the external fluid forces using empirically based models for viscosity to complete the dynamic model. The derived model is then simulated for different initial conditions and key parameters of the non Newtonian fluid, and the results are corroborated with a few existing experimental results on a similar mechanism under identical conditions. Lastly, with a view to implementing control algorithms we explore accessibility of the system at certain configurations.