Third-Order Partial Differential Equations Arising In The Impulsive Motion Of A Flat Plate

We obtain numerical solutions to a class of third-order partial differential equations arising in the impulsive motion of a flat plate for various boundary data. In particular, we study the case of constant acceleration of the plate, the case of oscillation of the plate, and a case in which velocity is increasing yet acceleration is decreasing. We compare the numerical solutions with the known exact solutions in order to establish the validity of the method. Several figures illustrating both solution forms and the relative strength of the second and third-order terms are presented. The results obtained in this study reveal many interesting behaviors that warrant further study on the non-Newtonian fluid flow phenomena. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved