On weak solutions to a class of non-Newtonian incompressible fluids in bounded three-dimensional domains: The case \(p\geq 2\) (Q5954474)

The authors study the following initial-boundary value problem for a flow of incompressible non-Newtonian fluid with shear dependent viscosity, in a bounded domain \(\Omega\subset \mathbb{R}^3\): \[ \begin{aligned} & \text{div }{\mathbf v} = 0\text{ in }\Omega\times I,\;I=(0,T),\\ & \rho\partial{\mathbf v}/\partial t-\text{div }{\mathbf T}({\mathbf D})+\rho(\nabla {\mathbf v}){\mathbf v} = -\nabla\pi+\rho{\mathbf f}\text{ in }\Omega\times I,\\ & {\mathbf v} = 0\text{ on }\partial\Omega\times I,\;{\mathbf v}(0,\cdot)={\mathbf v}_0\text{ in }\Omega,\end{aligned} \] where \({\mathbf D}=\text{sym }\nabla {\mathbf v}\) and \(T > 0\). Basic assumption is that there exist a potential \(\Phi\) and constants \(C_1,C_2 > 0\), such that for some \(p>1\), \(r,s,m, n = 1, 2, 3\) and \({\mathbf B},{\mathbf D}\in(\mathbb{R}^{3\times 3})_{\text{sym}}\) it holds \[ \begin{aligned} & T_{rs}({\mathbf D})=\partial_{rs}\Phi(|D|^2),\;\Phi(0)=\partial_{rs}\Phi(0)=0,\\ & \partial_{ij}\partial_{kl}\Phi(|{\mathbf D}|)B_{ij} B_{kl}\geq C_1(1+|{\mathbf D}|)^{p-2}|{\mathbf B}|^2,\\ & |\partial_{rs}\partial_{mn}\Phi(|{\mathbf D}|^2)|\leq C_2(1+|{\mathbf D}|)^{p-2}.\end{aligned} \] Let \(V_p\) be the closure of the set of all finite solenoidal fields in the space \(W^{1,p}(\Omega)^3\). The main result of the paper is as follows: If \({\mathbf v}_0\in V_p\), \(p\in [2, 3)\) and \({\mathbf f}\in L^2(I;L^2(\Omega)^3)\), then there exists a weak solution of the considered problem; moreover, if \(p\geq 9/4\), then the solution is strong and unique and \({\mathbf v}\in L^2(I;W^{2,2}_{\text{loc}}(\Omega)^3)\). The proof consists of several basic steps: the difficulty connected with a low regularity of the pressure is overcome by constructing an appropriate twofold approximation of the original problem based on both the mollification of the convective term \((\nabla{\mathbf v}_\varepsilon){\mathbf v}\) and on a quadratic approximation \(\Phi_A\) of the potential \(\Phi\); the existence and regularity of the weak solution to the approximate problem is proved and, finally, the limiting processes \(\Phi_A\to\Phi\) and \(\varepsilon\to 0\) are performed.