Transient polymeric drop extension and retraction in uniaxial extensional flows. (Q5944226)

The objective is to get a better understanding of the role of drop and matrix viscoelasticity in the dynamics of drop deformation. More specifically, using an Oldroyd-B constitutive equation, the authors model the deformation of a viscoelastic drop suspended in another viscoelastic fluid subject to uniaxial extensional flow and analyze the transient drop deformation. To undertake the numerical work, the authors then utilize a robust and efficient implementation of the DEVSSG-FEM of \textit{R. Guenette} and \textit{M. Fortin} [J. Non-Newton. Fluid Mech. 60, 27--52 (1995)]. They have identified a number of nonlinear effects due to elastic and memory effects. The nonlinear transient phenomena identified have not been predicted by previous models. While this work certainly enhances our understanding of transient drop extension and retraction in unixial extensional flows, there are still unanswered questions which necessitates additional work.