1/27/2014

Fluid Mechanics (ME231)
Laminar, incompressible, viscous flow:
Exact Solutions 

© M. K. Das, mkdas@iitk.ac.in

Couette Flow
Laminar, incompressible, steady flow between two infinitely long 
parallel plates; top plate moving steadily, bottom plate stationary

Reasonable to 
assume 2‐D, fully 
developed flow, 
why??

2-D: u  u  x, y  , v   x, y  , w  0, p  p  x, y 

u p
Fully developed:  0; =0 why??
x x

ME231/IITK/mkdas@iitk.ac.in 1
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Now apply continuity, 
x‐momentum, y‐momentum

u v
Continuity:  0
x y
u v
using fully developed condition  0, we have  0  v  f  x
x y
Boundary condition  impermeablility  :
v  x, y  h   0  v  0 everywhere
v v v 1 p   2 v  2 v  p
y -mom: u v     2  2   0
t x y  y  x y  y
Gravity is included in the pressure; pressure is hydrostatic (treated 
as constant mostly for small h and/or gaseous continuum)

u u u 1 p   2u  2u 
x-mom: u v    2  2 
t x y  x  x y 
d 2u
  0; BCs  no-slip  : u  x, y  h   u0 , u  x, y  h   0
dy 2
u  y
u  c1 y  c2  u  0 1   Velocity field is indeed linear!!
2  h

Deviatoric stress tensor
 ui u j 
 ij       v u   u0
 xi 
 x j  12   21     
 x y  2h
  u0  u v
0  11  2   0;  22  2 0
 2h  x y
  
  u0 0
 2h 

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   
Stress tensor assume a surface normal: n  n1i  n2 j ; n  1
Forces on this surface
  u0 
   p 2h 
Fj  ni ij  Fj  n1 1 j  n2 2 j
  
  u0  u0
 p F1  n1 11  n2 21  n1 p  n2
 2h  2h
 u0
F2  n1 12  n2 22  n1  n2 p
2h
assume a particular case where:
n1  0, n2  1
 u0
F1  , F2   p similarly for: n1  0, n2  1
2h
u
F1   0 , F2  p
2h

moving plate
Find the forces exerted on the 
top/bottom plates (per unit area) 
by the fluid
stationary

   u  
FT   n2 21  i   n2 22  j   0 i  pj
2h
    u0  
FB   n2 21  i   n2 22  j  i  pj
2h
2h
Note that
 du  u
w      0
 dy  y  h 2h
Newton's law of viscosity recovered

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Couette Flow: Summary

u0  y Wall shear stress magnitude is given by

u 1  
2  h  u0
w 
v0 2h
w 
p  0  
1
 u0 2  u0 h
2
1
Skin friction coefficient C f 
Re h
  u0 
 p
Re : Reynolds number
 2h  Poiseuille number Po  C f Re  1
  
  u0  p
 2h 

Couette‐Poiseuille Flow
Laminar, incompressible, steady flow between two infinitely long 
parallel plates; top plate moving steadily, bottom plate stationary

Reasonable to 
assume 2‐D, fully 
developed flow, 
why??

2-D: u  u  x, y  , v   x, y  , w  0, p  p  x, y 
 p
Fully developed:    0 except which may be non-zero
x x

ME231/IITK/mkdas@iitk.ac.in 4
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Now apply continuity, 
x‐momentum, y‐momentum

u v
Continuity:  0
x y
u v
using fully developed condition  0, we have  0  v  f  x
x y

Boundary condition: v  x, y  h   0  v  0 everywhere

v v v 1 p   2 v  2 v  p
y -mom: u v     2  2   0
t x y  y  x y  y

Gravity is included in the pressure

u u u 1 p   2u  2u 
x-mom: u v    2  2 
t x y  x  x y 
d 2u 1 dp
 2   constant; BCs: u  x, y  h   u0 , u  x, y  h   0
dy  dx
1 dp y 2 h 2 dp  y 2  u0  y
u  c y  c2 u  1  2   1  
 dx 2 1 2  dx  h  2  h 

u d2p u u1  y 2  1  y
 0  2  0  p  ax  b  1  2   1  
x dx u 0 u0  h  2  h 
h 2 dp
d
dp u0  y  where u1  
Couette flow :  0  u  1   2 dx
dx 2  h
h 2 dp  y 2 
Poiseuille flow : u0  0  u   1  
2  dx  h 2 

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Couette‐Poiseuille Flow
u u1  y 2  1  y
 1  2   1   1

u 0 u0  h  2  h 
h 2 dp
where u1   0.5
adverse pr. grad.

2 dx favorable pr. grad.

u1/u0=-1
-.75 -.50 u1/u0=0 .50 .75

y/h
0
du 2y 1 Couette
  2 u1  u0 u1/u0=1
dy h 2h
back flow
 du  2 u  -0.5
-.25
  u1  0 
.25
 dy 
  y  h h  4
-1
-0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5
u/u0

 du  u 1  du  u 1 dp  u0
 dy  0 1  ;  dy  0 1   
  y  h u0 4   y  h u0 4 dx 2h 2
Adverse pr. grad. Is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for backflow

Couette Flow Poiseuille Flow

u0  y  y2 
u 1   u  u1 1  2 
2  h
 h 
Wall shear stress is given by
1
h
1
h
 y2  2
 du 
w    
u
 0
uav  
2h  h
udy   u1 1  2  dy  u1
2h  h  h  3
  y  h 2h
dy
du 2y 3y  du  3 uav
w   - 2 u1  - 2 uav   w     
 dy h h   y  h
dy h
1
 u0 2  u0 h
w 6 6
2   Cf 
1 1
 uav 2  u h Re
Skin friction coefficient C f 
av h

Re h 2
Po  C f Re  6
Poiseuille number Po  C f Re  1

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