Two-dimensional viscoelastic flows in T-Shaped channels were observed by means of flow visualization . We used two kinds of T-shaped junctions flow ; symmetric and asymmetric ones referred to as “type A” and “type B” respectively. Moreover, we used polyacrylamide solution and syrup as a viscoelastic and a viscous liquid.
In the viscoelastic flow of type A, two circulating flows were observed at the upstreem sides of re-entrant corners, but, in the viscous fluid, they were not observed. And the flow direction of viscoelastic liquids changed more abruptly at the junction than that of viscous ones. In the flow type B, circulating flows were observed only at the higher velocity than in the flow type A.
Lastly, the flow was calculated numerically for the Maxwell model by the perturbation method . The numerical results agreed qualitatively with the experimental results in the flow type A, but did not agreed well in the flow type B.
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