Numerical analysis of oscillatory Couette flow of a rarefied gas on the basis of the linearized Boltzmann equation for a hard sphere molecular gas

Abstract

The time-dependent motion of a rarefied gas between two parallel planes caused by an oscillatory motion of the plane is studied based on the linearized Boltzmann equation for a hard sphere molecular gas. With the aid of a deterministic numerical method, an accurate numerical analysis is carried out for a wide range of gas rarfaction and oscillatory frequency. The detailed data of the shear stress acting on the planes is provided in a complete form for a wide range of the parameters. The transition of the solution from low to high frequencies under various degrees of gas rarfaction is discussed.