The squeeze-film flow of a viscoelastic fluid (Q1821635)

We report on the use of a numerical method to solve the (inertia-less) squeeze-film flow problem for a viscoelastic fluid. The method is based on a boundary element formulation and relies on a time-marching scheme. The viscoelastic fluid is modelled by a constitutive law that allows for a shear stress overshoot mechanism in a suddenly started shear flow. The results show convincingly that the load enhancement sometimes observed experimentally is due to stress overshoot. A simple explanation for the enhancement is suggested; the stress overshoot appears quickly and takes a long time to die away, so that steady-state viscous behaviour is not very relevant.