Some simple flows of a Johnson-Segalman fluid (Q1288706)

Three basic Poiseuille flows of a Johnson-Segalman fluid are investigated with the objective of gaining an understanding of their response characteristics. The major distinctive feature of this particular class of fluids is that it accommodates a non-monotonic relationship between shear stress and rate of shear. The flows studied are flow in a circular pipe, planar flow with porous boundaries, and flow between concentric cylinders with porous boundaries. In the first problem, solutions leading to discontinuous velocity profiles have been obtained. These are associated with the phenomenon of ``spurt''. In the second problem, however, the solutions are smooth and do not give rise to discontinuous velocity gradients. The authors conclude that while ``spurt'' could be associated with the ``stick-slip'' condition at the wall, the fluid model considered here seems to be best suited for describing the appearance of ``shear-layers''.