Stokes First Problem for an Unsteady MHD Third-Grade Fluid in a Non-Porous Half Space with Hall Currents

Abstract

The well-known problem of unidirectional plane flow of a fluid in a non-porous half-space due to the impulsive motion of the rigid plane wall it rests upon is discussed in the context of an unsteady MHD third-grade fluid in presence of Hall currents. The governing non-linear partial differential equations describing the problem are converted to a system of non-linear ordinary differential equations by using the similarity transformations. The complex analytical solution is found by using the homotopy analysis method (HAM). The existing literature on the topic shows that it is the first study regarding the effects of Hall current on flow of an unsteady MHD third-grade fluid over an impulsively moving plane wall. The convergence of the obtained complex series solutions is carefully analyzed. The effects of dimensionless parameters on the velocity are illustrated through plots and the effects of the pertinent parameters on the local skin friction coefficient at the surface of the wall are presented numerically in tabular form