Problems on electrorheological fluid flows

Abstract

We develop a model of an electrorheological fluid such that the fluid is considered as an anisotropic one with the viscosity depending on the second invariant of the rate of strain tensor, on the module of the vector of electric field strength, and on the angle between the vectors of velocity and electric field. We study general problems on the flow of such fluids at nonhomogeneous mixed boundary conditions, wherein values of velocities and surface forces are given on different parts of the boundary. We consider the cases where the viscosity function is continuous and singular, equal to infinity, when the second invariant of the rate of strain tensor is equal to zero. In the second case the problem is reduced to a variational inequality. By using the methods of a fixed point, monotonicity, and compactness, we prove existence results for the problems under consideration. Some efficient methods for numerical solution of the problems are examined.