Paper 2, Section II, E

Fluid Dynamics II
Part II, 2009

Show that two-dimensional Stokes flow u=(u(r,ϕ),v(r,ϕ),0)\mathbf{u}=(u(r, \phi), v(r, \phi), 0) in cylindrical polar coordinates (r,ϕ,z)(r, \phi, z) has a stream function ψ(r,ϕ)\psi(r, \phi), with u=r1ψ/ϕ,v=ψ/ru=r^{-1} \partial \psi / \partial \phi, v=-\partial \psi / \partial r, that satisfies the biharmonic equation

4ψ=0\nabla^{4} \psi=0

Give, in terms of ψ\psi and/or its derivatives, the boundary conditions satisfied by ψ\psi on an impermeable plane of constant ϕ\phi which is either (a) rigid or (b) stress-free.

A rigid plane passes through the origin and lies along ϕ=α\phi=-\alpha. Fluid with viscosity μ\mu is confined in the region α<ϕ<0-\alpha<\phi<0. A uniform tangential stress SS is applied on ϕ=0\phi=0. Show that the resulting flow may be described by a stream function ψ\psi of the form ψ(r,ϕ)=Sr2f(ϕ)\psi(r, \phi)=S r^{2} f(\phi), where f(ϕ)f(\phi) is to be found. Hence show that the radial flow U(r)=u(r,0)U(r)=u(r, 0) on ϕ=0\phi=0 is given by

U(r)=Srμ(1cos2ααsin2αsin2α2αcos2α)U(r)=\frac{S r}{\mu}\left(\frac{1-\cos 2 \alpha-\alpha \sin 2 \alpha}{\sin 2 \alpha-2 \alpha \cos 2 \alpha}\right)

By expanding this expression for small α\alpha show that UU and SS have the same sign, provided that α\alpha is not too large. Discuss the situation when α>αc\alpha>\alpha_{c}, where tan 2αc=2αc2 \alpha_{c}=2 \alpha_{c}.

[Hint: In plane polar coordinates

2=2r2+1rr+1r22ϕ2\nabla^{2}=\frac{\partial^{2}}{\partial r^{2}}+\frac{1}{r} \frac{\partial}{\partial r}+\frac{1}{r^{2}} \frac{\partial^{2}}{\partial \phi^{2}}

and the component σrϕ\sigma_{r \phi} of the stress tensor takes the form

σrϕ=μ(r(v/r)r+1ruϕ)\sigma_{r \phi}=\mu\left(r \frac{\partial(v / r)}{\partial r}+\frac{1}{r} \frac{\partial u}{\partial \phi}\right)