The effect of rotation on the onset of electrohydrodynamic instability of an elastico-viscous dielectric fluid layer

Abstract

Abstract In this paper the combined effect of uniform rotation and AC electric field on the onset of instability in a horizontal layer of an elastico-viscous fluid stimulated by the dielectrophoretic force due to the variation of dielectric constant with temperature is studied. Walters’ (model B’) fluid model is used to describe rheological behaviour of an elastico-viscous fluid. The onset criterions for stationary and oscillatory convection are derived for the case of free-free boundaries. It is observed that Walters’ (model B’) fluid behaves like an ordinary Newtonian fluid and rotation has stabilizing influence whereas AC electric field has destabilizing influence on the stability of the system. The necessary condition for the occurrence of oscillatory convection is also obtained. The present results are in good agreement with the earlier published results.