Time-Dependent Simulations of Shear-Thinning Elastic Flows Through Contractions
Abstract Past numerical work with constant-viscosity viscoelastic fluids through planar contractions has enabled steady-state solutions to be obtained at relatively high Weissenberg numbers (We up to 10). Those solutions for the upper-convected Maxwell and Oldroyd-B models showed steady flow patterns for increasing We with the appearance of lip-vortices, vortex growth, and comer-lip vortex merging, in agreement with recent simulations and some experimental work. When similar simulations were performed with two shear-thinning viscoelastic models, namely the Phan-Thien – Tanner and the Giesekus models, steady state solutions could not be obtained beyond a certain value of We, but the solution was seen to follow a periodic unsteady flow pattern. The present paper reports preliminary numerical results which highlight the formation of the lip vortices through a sequence of time dependent events.