Experimental Study on the Squeezing Flow of Viscoelastic Fluids(1st Report, The Effect of Liquid Properties on the Flow between a Spherical Surface and a Flat Plate)

An experimental study has been made on the flow of viscoelastic liquids in thin films held between a flat plate and a spherical surface of a large radius of curvature. In particular, the case is investigated when a spherical surface begins to roll on a flat plate from stationary and contacting state. Dilute polymer solutions are used as viscoelastic fluids, whose properties are elastic but Newtonian in viscosity. Compared with non-elastic liquids, some effects are shown: The point of cavitation is far from the center of contact where the thickness of the liquid film is minimum. The thickness of the liquid film, generated with rolling movement, is larger than that of non-elastic liquids