Abstract
Mechanism of the occurrence of the wavy texture in slit flows of a liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) solution is studied through start-up flows using 50wt% aqueous solution of hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC). The average shear strain at the onset of the wavy texture is examined in the flows through slits with various entrance geometries. The shear strain is independent of an average shear rate except for the low shear rates below 2s^<-1>. Furthermore, the transition of the texture is revealed at the start-up experiment using a piston.
