Acta ~Iechanica 33, 199--205 (1979)

ACTA MECHANICA
| by Springer-Verl~g 1979

On the Unsteady Flow of Viscous Fluid Between Two Plates

By

S. S. Bishay ] ] a n n a , Cairo, E g y p t

With 8 Figures

(Received December 29, 1977; April 4, 1978)

Summary- Zusammenfassung
On the Unsteady Flow of Viscous Fluid Between Two Plates. A solution is found for
Navier-Stokes equations for the unsteady laminar flow of a viscous incompressible fluid
between two horizontal parallel plates, the upper one is moving with an arbitrary velocity
U(t) and the other at rest, under the action o4 an arbitrary pressure gradient.
t~ber die instation~ire Bewegung eines z~ihen )Iedinms zwisehen zwei Platten. Es wird
eine LSsung der Navier-Stokes Gleichungen unter den folgenden :Bedingungen bestimmt. Es '
soll sich um eine instation~re, ]aminare Str5mung eines inkompressiblen Mediums zwischen
zwei horizontalen Platten handeln. Die obere Platte bewege sich mit der beliebigen Geschwin-
digkeit U(t) w~hrend die untere ruht, weiterhin sei ein beIiebiger Druckgradient aufgepr~gt~

Introduction

The solution of t h e e q u a t i o n s g o v e r n i n g t h e m o t i o n of such flow b e t w e e n

f i x e d p l a t e s in t h e case of s t e a d y m o t i o n s is well k n o w n [1]. A solution is f o u n d f o r
t h e case w h e n t h e u p p e r p l a t e is in u n i f o r m m o t i o n a n d for special forms for the,
p r e s s u r e g r a d i e n t [2], [3].
A C a r t e s i a n s y s t e m of coordinates is u s e d in which t h e two p a r a l l e l p l a t e s a r e
y ~ • where 2h is t h e d i s t a n c e b e t w e e n t h e two plates, t h e x-axis in t h e
d i r e c t i o n of t h e flow. The v e l o c i t y of fluid p a r t i c l e s is a s s m n e d to h a v e one c o m -
p o n e n t u(x, y, t) in t h e direction of t h e x-axis a n d t h e pressure is p(x, y, t).

Solution

A p p l y i n g t h e e q u a t i o n s of c o n t i n u i t y a n d N a v i e r - S t o k e s equations, it can b e
easily d e d u c e d t h a t p(x, t) is i n d e p e n d e n t of y a n d l i n e a r l y d e p e n d s on x a n d
u(y, t) is i n d e p e n d e n t of x a n d satisfies t h e e q u a t i o n
~u 1 ~p ~2u
~t Q ax -~- ~ --0y
2, (l}

where t is t h e time, @ t h e d e n s i t y a n d ~ t h e k i n e m a t i c viscosity, u satisfies t h e

b o u n d a r y conditions
u = 0 a t y --~ - - h ,
u----- U at y=h. / (2)

0001-5970/79/0033/0199/$01.40
200 S.S. Bishay Hanna:

Writing the pressure gradient in the form of Fourier series with respect to the
time

@ = Re 2 P~ e i ~ t , (3)
~x k=o

where Pk (k --~ 0, 1, 2 . . . . ) are complex constants and co is a real constant, the

equation of motion (1) takes the form

Ou ~2u I
-- -- v -- Re ~ ' pke ik~ . (4)
Dt ~y2 ~ ~=0

Using the following nondimensional variables and quantities

Y t* == o)t, u* u U* U /
Y* = T ' -- hoe ' -- he) '
(5)
7 - - h~o),
Pl:
Pk* --- ~h~o2 ,
k ---- 0, 1, 2,
".,
J
and dropping the stars, the Eq. (4) takes the form
co

~u r -O~u
- -- Re r , pkeikt 9 (6)
~t ~y~ ~=0

I t m a y be noted that Reynolds number Re of the flow can be taken as 1/y.

The velocity expansion in the form of Fourier series with respect to the time is
assumed in the form

u ( y , t) = R e w t~l~(y) e iet 9 (7)

Substituting this expression in (6) and using the property of linear independence
of the functions e i~t (k == 0, 1, 2, ...), the following system of ordinary differential
equations is obtained
d2F~ ik
dy 2 y
G = Pk.
Y
(8)

The general solution of this system is

Fo = l P~ y2 + Aoy + Bo '
2
(9)

Fk=Akch(l+i) V Y-t-Bksh(l -~i) ~Y+T' }= 1,2,...,

where A~, Bk (k = 0, 1, 2 . . . . ) are arbitrary complex constants.

Using the expansion of U(t) in Fourier series

U(t) = eZ~kd~t, (~o)

~=0
 Unsteady Flow of Viscous Fluid Between Two Plates 201

in the boundary conditions (2), the following system of boundary conditions is

obtained

Wk = O at y=--l, k=0,1,2 ..... [ (11)

F~=2k at y: 1, k ---- 0,1, 2, ... !

Applying these boundary condition, a system of algebraic equations in Ak, Bk is

obtained. The solution of this system is

1 20, Bo = 1 _ Po
Ao -- 2 y 40 2~ I

~1k = "~k -- 2@/r B = --~k l (12)

2 ch (1 § i) 1 / k - ' l/k- '

Thus the unknown velocity takes the form

u=I~e P_A0(y= _ 1) ~- --~ (y + 1) -t- . . . . __

Y
= ch (1 + i) 1 / •
V2r

Y§ e~kt .
2 s h ( 1 -]- i) ~/2--~

It can be easily verified that, the known traditional solution for the steady
flow between two fixed plates can be obtained from this general solution when P0
is real,

p~=0 for k>0 and 2k=0, k=0,1,2 ....

The solution given in [2] is obtained as a special case, when Pl is real and P0 = Pe
= 0, k = 2, 3 . . . . . and 2k = 0, k = 0, 1, 2, ...
The series ~Y~Fk(y)e i~t is absolutely convergent if the series IF~(y)l is
ks0 k=0
convergent. But

2IF(Y)[ ~2
k=l k=O
Ach(1~- i) ~y I@ (l~-i) VVy
~ ,

and

and similarly

2 B~ sh(1 ~- i) y I~[ cth .

202 S.S. Bishay Hanna:

/T
Since eth .]' ~ is bounded function of k, then if the given series for the pressure
gradient and the velocity U are absolutely convergent, the obtained series for u
is also absolutely convergent for all values of y.

Special Gase

In the following, the special case, when

@ =Pcoso~t, U ~ .~ cos O)t,

3x
is studied. In this case u has the expression

u = Re [--iP + )~ + 2iP ch(l+i) y eit

L 2 c h 1- +- i ~-~y -~- 2 sh
1- +- i

= ul(y, t) + u2(y, t),

where,

2~ [(shl/7 /Z ~+__Yeos~+____y
/~ 1 =

ch
V~ -- cos V'T
~-
7~176 sh~ ~
+ ch sin eh 1 + y sin cos t

+ ch sin sh 1 + y cos 1 +___yy

--sh]/2 cos ehl+Ysin • sin y

V~
u2---- P 1-- 2 /oh l___cos - - ch ---Y cos
ch + cos 7

+sh1 sln1 sh Y - - s i n l / - ~ ) l sint

3
+ 2 _ _ / s h I _ sin l _ _ c h ~ c o s _ _ y

- oh V~-~cos ~ ~/W
 Unsteady Flow, o~ Viscous Fluid Between Two Plates 203

y!
1.0

0.8i

O,

OZ 0.4

0.2 0.2

} I I I _ i

_ 01.2 0
-0,2 C 0.'::' 0.4 0.6 O.B 1.0 0,2 (14 6 0.8 u~ 1.0

0.2 x -0.2

0.4 -0.4

0.6 -0.5

0.8 -0.8

-1.0 -1,0

Fig. 1. Variation of ui/~ with y Fig. 2. Variation of ul/A with y

at the time instants 2n7i
at the time instants (2n + 1 ) ~

0.8 q

o.q~- 0.6

0.4 0.4

0.2 0.2

I l I I ( I
-0.2 0 0.2 0_4 0.6 0.8 1.0
1s -1.0 -0.8 -0.6 -0.4 -02 0 O.2 04
Ul Ul
-0,2 >, -0.2 X
-0.4 -0.4

-0,6 -06

-0.8 -0.8

-1.0 -1.0

Fig. 3. Variation of ul/~ with y Fig. 4. Variation of ul/,~ with y

at the time instants (2~ + 1-) ~z at the time instants (2n + -}) ~
204 S.S. BishayHanna:

800
Y1"01
O . B [
08t
0.6 0.6

0.4 O4

0.2 0.2
I I I I t I I 1 I I
-0.2 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.o :o~2 0 0_2 0.4 0.6 0.6 10 u21.2
-0.2 P -0.2

-0,4 -04

-0.8
9,
-0.8~ - 0 . 8 ~
%
-~.o~ -1.0 BOO

Fig. 5. Variation of u2/P with y Fig. 6. Variation of ue/P with y

at the time instants 2nz
~t the time instants (2~ + 1 ) ~

y 1.0 y 1.0 - R=JSO0

0.8

0.5 0.6
I
0.4 0.4

0.2 0.2

I I I I
-0.2 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.2 -0.2 0.2 0.4 0.6 0_8 1.0 12
u_~Z u2
-0.2 P -0.2 P

-0.4 -0.4

-0.E
-06t ~
-0.8 -0.8
R=200
-1,0 =1-0 R=~800

Fig. 7. Variation of uJP with y Fig. 8. Variation of ue/P with y

at the time instants (2~ + 1 ) z at the time instants (2n + 3 ) ~
 Unsteady Flow of Viscous Fluid Between Two Plates 205

The Figs. 1--8 show the variation of ul and u~ with y for three values of t~eyn-
olds number (2OO, 8OO, 18OO) at the time, instants 2n~, (2n + ~) ~r, (2n + ~) ~,
(2n + 3 ) ~ , where n is an integer. These figures s h o w t h a t the motionof the upper
plate affects the motion of fluid particles in the neighbouring layer. The thickness
of this layer decreases as t~eynolds number increases. The motion produced b y the
pressure gradient is symmetric relative to the plane y--~ 0, and it is u n i f o r m
except near the two plates, the thickness of the region of nonuniform motion also
diminishes as l~eynolds number increases.

References

[1] Lamb, H. L.: Hydrodynamics, 6th ed., p. 121. Cambridge: University Press. 1932.
[2] Dube, S. N. : On the Flow of a Viscous Incompressible Fluid Between Two Parallel Flat
Plates, One in Uniform Motion and the Other at Rest, with Unsteady Pressure Gradient.
Proe. Indian Aead. Sc. A 72, 205 (1970).
[3] Currie,.L.G. : FundamentM Mechanics of Fluids, 1st ed., p. 237. McGraw-Hill. 1974.

S. S. Bishay Hanna
Ain-Shams University
College o/ Women
Department o/Mathematics
Cairo, Egypt*