Flow of Elastic Liquids

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The proposal concerns liquids containing a dissolved polymer, which generally makes the liquid elastic as well as viscous. Polymers are often added to liquids to make the material more viscous – paint and ink are examples – but the polymer also makes the liquid elastic, and this additional fluid property can affect a flow. In inkjet printing, for example, the ink’s elasticity can cause unwanted satellite droplets. Sometimes the polymer is added solely for the improvement provided by elasticity. Two well-developed applications are: to agricultural spraying because elasticity improves surface deposition of the coating; and to turbulent pipe flow because elastic stresses reduce the driving pressure. The amount of added polymer is often minute but the effect can be dramatic. In turbulent pipe flow, for instance, the addition of 10 parts per million can reduce the required pressure by 50%. Viscosity is an obvious property of a fluid - liquids are referred to as thick or thin - but elasticity is generally much less evident. The most visible manifestation is probably stringiness, as seen with saliva and egg whites.