A Numerical Analysis for Unsteady Flow of High-Viscosity Non-Newtonian Fluids with Free Surfaces

Abstract

A numerical method using a finite element approach has been developed to analyze unsteady flow of power-law fluids with free surfaces. In this paper, we propose a technique for calculation of a moving free surface; the method uses marker particles and volume of fraction, which is the occupancy rate of fluid in an element. The calculation result obtained by the present method for an L-shaped cavity flow was comparable with that obtained by the mesh rezoning method. It was within 5% difference in the calculation of location of the moving free surface. In the other examples, there are shown to calculation results of a moving free surface by the injection molding of two box-shaped cavity flows. Lastly, a calculation result for three-dimensional flow in a concave lens is shown.