Flow characteristics of a ``multiconfigurational'', shear thinning viscoelastic fluid with particular reference to the orthogonal rheometer (Q1568137)

The paper discusses a class of multiconfigurational fluids with elasticity determined by a neo-Hookean strain energy function, and with viscosity determined by a power-law type rate of dissipation function. The stress response is elastic due to changing natural configuration, and a viscous dissipation occurs due to changes in natural state. The model has three parameters: elasticity, viscosity, and shear thinning index. The author examines the flow of emerging viscoelastic fluids between parallel plates rotating about non-coincident axes, and the assumed velocity field leads to a system of second-order ordinary differential equations. A parametric study related to various material, geometric and flow parameters shows that inertial effects and shear thinning effects are roughly complementary. Boundary layers occur due to inertia effects, and these are insensitive to Reynolds number but depend essentially on the absorption number. The neglect of inertia results in marked discrepancies in the boundary shear rate calculations.