The mechanism analysis of the oscillatory flow of Oldroyd-B fluid in a tube with a right triangular cross-section

Abstract

This paper considers the oscillatory flow of the Oldroyd-B fluid in a tube with a right triangular cross-section. The partial differential equation for describing the unidirectional flow of Oldroyd-B fluid is derived. For treating the triangular region, the unstructured mesh finite element method is applied. For verifying the accuracy of the finite element method, the source term is introduced and the exact solution is constructed. We obtain an analytical solution for the isosceles triangular cross-section tube and analyze the effects of different parameters on the velocity amplitude and phase difference of the Oldroyd-B fluid flow. In addition, the dynamic characteristics for the unsteady-state Oldroyd-B fluid flow are discussed and the influence of the involved parameters, such as the pressure gradient, the relaxation and retardation time parameters on the velocity distribution are also investigated and the flow mechanism is analyzed graphically. At the same condition, we find that only the tube with an isosceles right triangle cross-section can produce the oscillatory flow. Finally, the fluid mechanism between the Newtonian fluid and the Oldroyd-B fluid for special cases is analyzed and discussed in detail.