A comprehensive model for viscoplastic flows in channels with a patterned wall: longitudinal, transverse and oblique flows

Abstract

We develop a comprehensive model for the creeping Poiseuille Bingham flow in channels equipped with a patterned wall, i.e. decorated with grooves or stripes that may represent a superhydrophobic (SH) or a chemically patterned (CP) surface, respectively, with longitudinal, transverse and oblique groove (stripe) orientations with respect to the applied pressure gradient. We rely on the Navier slip law to model the boundary condition on the slippery grooves. We develop semi-analytical, explicit-form and complementary computational fluid dynamics models, with solutions that have reasonable agreement. In contrast to its Newtonian analogue, a distinct solution for the oblique configuration, with an a priori unknown transform matrix, must be developed due to the viscoplastic nonlinear rheology. Our focus is to systematically analyse the effects of the Bingham number ( $B$ ), slip number ( $b$ ), groove periodicity length ( $\ell$ ), slip area fraction ( $\varphi$ ) and groove orientation angle ( $\theta$ ), on the slip velocities, effective slip length ( $\chi$ ), slip angle difference ( $\theta -s$ ), mixing index ( $I_M$ ), flow anisotropy and flow regimes. In particular, we demonstrate that, as $B$ increases, the maximum values of the shear component of $\chi$ , $\theta -s$ and $I_M$ occur progressively at smaller values of $\theta$ , compared with their Newtonian counterparts.