Response of viscoelastic fluids in extensional flow generated by a pulsating sphere

Abstract

A simple analysis of the periodic extensional flow generated by a pulsating sphere in an infinite sea of viscoelastic fluid has been carried out. The general procedure is illustrated by two specific constitutive equations: the corotational Jeffreys fluid and the Oldroyd fluid model B. The response of these fluids is reflected in the temporal variation of the pressure on the surface of the sphere, with Reynolds and Deborah numbers and parameters of the constitutive equations as independent variables. For the case of pulsation with infinitesimal amplitude the fluid response is summarised in the form of pressure amplitude and phase lag versus Deborah number plots. The role of the pulsating flow in the characterisation of viscoelastic fluids and the extension of the procedure to other constitutive equations are briefly discussed.