Surface dynamics and thermophysical mechanics on Reiner–Philippoff fluid flow

Abstract

Due to high sensitivity of fluid particles to temperature changes, the thermophysical characteristics of fluids are known to exhibit significant variations when exposed to temperature rise, which can impact the overall efficiency of conveying fluid substances in manufacturing processes across different surfaces and media. Industrial and mechanical processes such as aerodynamic extrusion in plastic sheets, fiber technology and biological dynamics as transpiration and muscle cramps exhibit different surface dynamics. The Reiner–Philippoff (RP) fluid model exemplifies shear-thinning, shear-thickening and Newtonian behavior. This study investigates the flow of a RP fluid over a stretching and shrinking surface with nonlinear thermal convection and variable thermophysical properties. The mathematical models describing the dynamical system are transformed through a similar group of transformations. Flow variables such as the fluid’s velocity, temperature and solute concentration were numerically obtained through the spectral local linearization technique (SLLM). Subject to the validation and accuracy of the numerical results, the effects of pertinent parameters on the flow were investigated. The findings in this study reveal that the effects of the flow variables on stretching and shrinking sheets are not diametrically opposite. Moreover, the radiation negatively impacts the flow variables over a stretching sheet compared to the positive effect experienced at some point in flow over a shrinking sheet.