Iterated stretching and multiple beads-on-a-string phenomena in dilute solutions of highly-extensible flexible polymers

The dynamics of elastocapillary thinning in high molecular weight polymer solutions are re-examined using high-speed digital video microscopy. At long times, the evolution of the viscoelastic thread deviates from self-similar exponential decay and competition of elastic, capillary and inertial forces leads to the formation of a periodic array of beads connected by axially-uniform ligaments. This configuration is itself unstable and successive instabilities propagate from the necks connecting the beads and ligaments. This iterated process results in the development of multiple generations of beads in agreement with predictions of Chang et al. (1999), although experiments yield a different recursion relation between successive generations. At long times, finite extensibility truncates the iterated instability and axial translation of the bead arrays along the interconnecting threads leads to progressive coalescence before rupture of the fluid column.Comment: Submitted to Physics of Fluids. Contains 15 pages, including 6 figures and 1 tabl

Thermocapillary motion of a Newtonian drop in a dilute viscoelastic fluid

In this work we investigate the role played by viscoelasticity on the thermocapillary motion of a deformable Newtonian droplet embedded in an immiscible, otherwise quiescent non-Newtonian fluid. We consider a regime in which inertia and convective transport of energy are both negligible (represented by the limit condition of vanishingly small Reynolds and Marangoni numbers) and free from gravitational effects. A constant temperature gradient is maintained by keeping two opposite sides of the computational domain at different temperatures. Consequently the droplet experiences a motion driven by the mismatch of interfacial stresses induced by the non-uniform temperature distribution on its boundary. The departures from the Newtonian behaviour are quantified via the “thermal” Deborah number, De T and are accounted for by adopting either the Oldroyd-B model, for relatively small De T, or the FENE-CR constitutive law for a larger range of De T. In addition, the effects of model parameters, such as the concentration parameter c=1−β (where β is the viscoelastic viscosity ratio), or the extensibility parameter, L 2, have been studied numerically using a hybrid volume of fluid-level set method. The numerical results show that the steady-state droplet velocity behaves as a monotonically decreasing function of De T, whilst its shape deforms prolately. For increasing values of De T, the viscoelastic stresses show the tendency to be concentrated near the rear stagnation point, contributing to an increase in its local interface curvature

A design rule for constant depth microfluidic networks for power-law fluids

A biomimetic design rule is proposed for generating bifurcating microfluidic channel networks of rectangular cross section for power-law and Newtonian fluids. The design is based on Murray’s law, which was originally derived using the principle of minimum work for Newtonian fluids to predict the optimum ratio between the diameters of the parent and daughter vessels in networks with circular cross section. The relationship is extended here to consider the flow of power-law fluids in planar geometries (i.e. geometries of rectangular cross section with constant depth) typical of lab-on-a-chip applications. The proposed design offers the ability to precisely control the shear-stress distributions and predict the flow resistance along the bifurcating network. Computational fluid dynamics simulations are performed using an in-house code to assess the validity of the proposed design and the limits of operation in terms of Reynolds number for Newtonian, shear-thinning and shear-thickening fluids under various flow conditions

Rheological behaviour and flow dynamics of Vitreous Humour substitutes used in eye surgery during saccadic eye movements

This work discusses the rheology of several vitreous humour (VH) substitutes used in eye surgery (perfluorocarbons and silicone oils) and their flow behaviour when subjected to saccadic eye movements. Shear rheology experiments revealed that all fluids tested exhibit a constant shear viscosity, while extensional rheological experiments showed that Siluron 2000 is the only fluid tested that exhibits a measurable elasticity. To characterise the dynamics during saccadic eye movements, numerical simulations of all the VH substitutes under study were performed with the open source software OpenFOAM and compared with Vitreous Humour flow dynamics to assess their potential mechanical performance. Minor differences were found between the numerical results of a viscoelastic fluid reproducing the rheology of Siluron 2000 and a Newtonian model. Perfluorocarbon (PFLC) shows a distinct flow behaviour relative to Silicone Oils (SiO). None of the pharmacological fluids tested can adequately mimic the rheological and consequently the flow behaviour of VH gel phase (Silva et al., 2020).Comment: 16 figure

A review of hemorheology : measuring technologies and recent advances

Significant progress has been made over the years on the topic of hemorheology, not only in terms of the development of more accurate and sophisticated techniques, but also in terms of understanding the phenomena associated with blood components, their interactions and impact upon blood properties. The rheological properties of blood are strongly dependent on the interactions and mechanical properties of red blood cells, and a variation of these properties can bring further insight into the human health state and can be an important parameter in clinical diagnosis. In this article, we provide both a reference for hemorheological research and a resource regarding the fundamental concepts in hemorheology. This review is aimed at those starting in the field of hemodynamics, where blood rheology plays a significant role, but also at those in search of the most up-to-date findings (both qualitative and quantitative) in hemorheological measurements and novel techniques used in this context, including technical advances under more extreme conditions such as in large amplitude oscillatory shear flow or under extensional flow, which impose large deformations comparable to those found in the microcirculatory system and in diseased vessels. Given the impressive rate of increase in the available knowledge on blood flow, this review is also intended to identify areas where current knowledge is still incomplete, and which have the potential for new, exciting and useful research. We also discuss the most important parameters that can lead to an alteration of blood rheology, and which as a consequence can have a significant impact on the normal physiological behavior of blood

Optimized cross-slot flow geometry for microfluidic extension rheometry

A precision-machined cross-slot flow geometry with a shape that has been optimized by numerical simulation of the fluid kinematics is fabricated and used to measure the extensional viscosity of a dilute polymer solution. Full-field birefringence microscopy is used to monitor the evolution and growth of macromolecular anisotropy along the stagnation point streamline, and we observe the formation of a strong and uniform birefringent strand when the dimensionless flow strength exceeds a critical Weissenberg number Wicrit 0:5. Birefringence and bulk pressure drop measurements provide self consistent estimates of the planar extensional viscosity of the fluid over a wide range of deformation rates (26 s1 "_ 435 s1) and are also in close agreement with numerical simulations performed by using a finitely extensible nonlinear elastic dumbbell model

Numerical simulations of the thermocapillary migration of a deformable Newtonian droplet in an Oldroyd-B matrix fluid in stokes flow conditions

In this work we investigate the role of elasticity on the thermal Marangoni migration of a Newtonian droplet surrounded by a viscoelastic fluid matrix in a three‐ dimensional geometry for the case of small Reynolds and Marangoni numbers. The study has been conducted in the framework of a coupled Level‐Set‐Volume of Fluid method implemented using the CFD toolbox OpenFOAM. The resulting approach was validated in a variety of flow conditions by comparing our results with analytical correlations and relevant experimental data available in literature. In the present numerical experiments, we consider a neutrally buoyant system of a Newtonian droplet placed in a container with square cross‐section filled with an Oldroyd‐B fluid (a viscoelastic fluid of constant shear viscosity). We apply a thermal gradient by keeping two sides of the box at a different constant temperature so that the temperature gradients at the liquid‐liquid interface generate an imbalance in the interfacial stresses. Such imbalance in turn is responsible of the motion of the fluid from the higher temperature region to the lower temperature region. This mechanism results in the drop moving in the opposite direction due to the thrust generated by the counter motion of the surrounding phase. In order to quantify the viscoelastic effects, we introduce a new dimensionless parameter measuring the relative importance of thermocapillary and elastic stresses. According to the numerical results, the droplet migration speed and shape are significantly different from those observed for the Newtonian‐Newtonian system. This departure of the observed dynamics from Newtonian behaviour can be ascribed to the complex interplay between different effects, including droplet morphological evolution and related distribution of surface‐tension‐driven and elastic stresses at the interface

Deformation of a ferrofluid droplet in a simple shear flow under the effect of a constant magnetic field

Abstract: In the present work, we investigate the dynamics of a droplet of ferrofluid placed in a shear flow field subjected to the additional action produced by the application of a magnetic field in a direction perpendicular to the flow. The problem is solved in the framework of a moving-boundary method based on the solution of the Navier-Stokes equations complemented with the additional equations required for the determination of the magnetic force. The results reveal interesting changes in the trends displayed by the droplet deformation and inclination angle as a function of the capillary number when the intensity of the magnetic field is varied while maintaining flow conditions corresponding to the Stokes regime. The mechanism of droplet relaxation from equilibrium when the magnetic force is suddenly removed is also investigated. According to our numerical experiments the deformation evolves in time following a harmonic decaying process, which, in the limit of small capillary number, i.e. for very small deformations, can be fairly well represented by the temporal evolution of a simple damped harmonic oscillator

Creeping thermocapillary motion of a Newtonian droplet suspended in a viscoelastic fluid

In this work we consider theoretically the problem of a Newtonian droplet moving in an otherwise quiescent infinite viscoelastic fluid under the influence of an externally applied temperature gradient. The outer fluid is modelled by the Oldroyd-B equation, and the problem is solved for small Weissenberg and Capillary numbers in terms of a double perturbation expansion. We assume microgravity conditions and neglect the convective transport of energy and momentum. We derive expressions for the droplet migration speed and its shape in terms of the properties of both fluids. In the absence of shape deformation, the droplet speed decreases monotonically for sufficiently viscous inner fluids, while for fluids with a smaller inner-to-outer viscosity ratio, the droplet speed first increases and then decreases as a function of the Weissenberg number. For small but finite values of the Capillary number, the droplet speed behaves monotonically as a function of the applied temperature gradient for a fixed ratio of the Capillary and Weissenberg numbers. We demonstrate that this behaviour is related to the polymeric stresses deforming the droplet in the direction of its migration, while the associated changes in its speed are Newtonian in nature, being related to a change in the droplet's hydrodynamic resistance and its internal temperature distribution. When compared to the results of numerical simulations, our theory exhibits a good predictive power for sufficiently small values of the Capillary and Weissenberg numbers.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures, submitted to J. Fluid Mec

Flow behaviour of vitreous humour biofluid during saccadic eye movements

Saccadic movements are rapid movements of the eye, which allow the eye to rapidly refixate from one object to another under voluntary control. These movements are considered the most important in inducing fluid motion in the eye. The fluid that occupies most of the eyeball is called vitreous humour (VH) and is a complex, gel-like viscoelastic fluid. It is known that VH is only produced during the embryonic stage and becomes progressively liquefied with age, and as a consequence its rheological properties change. The opensource software OpenFOAM was used to investigate the dynamic response of VH during saccadic movements. Viscoelastic fluid flow solvers were adapted to work with dynamic meshes. The flow behaviour of the biofluid was studied on a simplified vitreous cavity and on a realistic eye chamber geometry. Saccadic movements with rotations between 10 ̊ and 50 ̊ were studied considering both Newtonian and viscoelastic fluid models, where the parameters for the latter were obtained by fitting the Giesekus model to rheological data measured experimentally. The results show that different degrees of rotation of saccadic movements produce distinct maximum angular velocities and consequently differences in the velocity profiles within the vitreous cavity. Changes in the viscosity of the fluid also affect significantly the results as consequence of the impact of viscosity on the diffusive time scale of the VH velocity field development. Moreover, the elastic behaviour of the fluid affects the velocity field and the stresses acting on the walls. Finally, the shape assumed for the VH cavity also affects the results, mostly in the anterior part of the cavity due to the indentation of the lens