A new constitutive equation and its performance in contraction flows (Q1973844)

This work has been motivated by the limitation of the most popular constitutive equation in engineering practice, the so-called generalized Newtonian liquid model (GNL) in studying flows in conduits of varying cross-section. However, it has been reliable in predictions of flows through conduits of constant cross-section. With this limitation in mind, the authors proceed to develop a new constitutive equation for incompressible material by assuming that the stress tensor is an isotropic function of rate-of-strain tensor and of the relative-rate-of-rotation tensor. A representation theorem is utilized to obtain the most general form of this function. The simplicity of the resulting constitutive equation for plane and axisymmetric flow allows to perform simulations involving complex flows. The authors apply the methodology to an axisymmetric flow through abrupt \(4:1\) contraction, and demonstrate that the approach is capable of predicting, at least qualitatively, steady-flow patterns for contraction flows. However, as the authors point out, the consequences of simplifying assumptions need to be investigated.