Objective
Strong flows of polymer solutions and melts are characterised by very large and predominantly elongational deformations of molecular structure. Both hydrodynamic interactions and effects of elasticity and finite extensibility of polymeric molecules become important in such flows. These effects are poorly understood, which hinders further progress of computer modelling of polymer processing and other polymer-involving technologies.
The project will concentrate upon the experimental and theoretical study of a number of relatively simple strong flows of polymer solutions. These particularly, discrepances between existing theories and experimental data up to extremely high strains and theoretical approaches to the description of observed phenomena, wil be developed and investigated.
The experiments will include: detailed observation of capillary thinning and breakup of filaments of dilute and moderately concentrated polymer solutions; study of vortex shedding and orientational phenomena in the flow of dilute polymer solutions around cylinders; study of delayed die-swell phenomenon in jet flows of polymer solutions; study of anomalous drag growth and entry effects in flows of polymeric fluids through constricted channels and porous media.
Theoretical analysis of predominantly elongational flows will be performed. A micromechanical cell model of moderately concentrated systems will be developed and its responses to steady-state and transient extension regimes will be investigated. Detailed theoretical study of capillary thinning and breakup of filaments of polymeric liquids accounting for effects of the relaxation spectrum and finite extensibility of polymer molecules will be performed.
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
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CB3 9EW Cambridge
United Kingdom