Analytical Solution of the Flow of Pseudo-plastic Fluid with the Effect of Inner Rotating Cylinder

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Fozia Shaikh 1
Abdul Majeed Siddiqui 2
Ghulam Mustafa Memon 3
Syed Feroz Shah 1
1 Department of Basic Sciences & Related Studies, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro, 76090, Pakistan
2 Department of Mathematics, Pennsylvania State University, York Campus, York, PA 17403, USA
3 Interdisciplinary Research Center for Industrial Nuclear Energy, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, 31261, Saudi Arabia
10.22055/jacm.2026.49355.5912
Abstract
This study aims to develop an analytical solution for the circular Couette flow of shear-thinning fluid in the gap between coaxial cylinders, addressing the impact of the nonlinearity in the constitutive model. The Langlois Recursive Approach is applied to model the circular Couette flow of pseudoplastic fluids, offering a novel analytical framework that incorporates the effects of radius ratio, pseudo-plastic parameter, shear stress and friction factor ratio on flow dynamics. The findings have broad implications for practical applications, including journal bearings, mixing equipment, turbo machinery, viscometers, polymer processing, and drilling operations, where understanding the flow behavior of non-Newtonian fluids is critical. The analysis reveals that both the radius ratio and pseudo-plastic parameters significantly impact fluid velocity and shear stress. Additionally, a notable variation in pressure distribution is observed as centrifugal forces become dominant. Finally, to validate the obtained results, steady-state solutions for tangential motions are employed, successfully retrieving known solutions for Newtonian fluids documented in the literature.
Keywords
Non-Newtonian
Pseudo-plastic fluid
Steady
frictional factor
Langlois recursive
Subjects

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Journal of Applied and Computational Mechanics

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Available Online from 02 September 2026