A method for calculating rheological and morphological properties of constant-volume polymer blend models in inhomogeneous shear fields

We show how to formulate two-point boundary-value problems in order to compute fully-developed laminar channel and tube flow profiles for viscoelastic fluid models. The formulation is applied to Couette and pressure-driven flows separately, or a combination of both. The application of this methodology is illustrated analytically for the Upper-Convected Maxwell Model, and it is applied computationally for the Phan-Thien/Tanner and Giesekus Models. Numerical solutions exist for the last two models [J.Y. Yoo, H.C. Choi, On the steady simple shear flows of the one-mode Giesekus fluid, Rheol. Acta 28 (1989) 13-24; P.J. Oliveira, F.T. Pinho, Analytical solution for fully developed channel and pipe flow of Phan-Thien-Tanner fluids, J. Fluid Mech. 387 (1999) 271-280; M.A. Alves, F.T. Pinho, P.J. Oliveira, Study of steady pipe and channel flows of a single-mode Phan-Thien-Tanner fluid, J. Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech. 101 (2001) 55-76], allowing verification of the computational technique. Subsequently, the computational algorithm is applied to the constant-volume polymer blend models of Maffettone and Minale [P.L. Maffettone, M. Minale, Equation of change for ellipsoidal drops in viscous flow, J. Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech. 84 (1999) 105-106 (Erratum), J. Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech. 78 (1998) 227-241] and Dressler and Edwards [M. Dressler, B.J. Edwards, The influence of matrix viscoelasticity on the rheology of polymer blends, Rheol. Acta 43 (2004) 257-282; M. Dressler, B.J. Edwards, Rheology of polymer blends with matrix-phase viscoelasticity and a narrow droplet size distribution, J. Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech. 120 (2004) 189-205]. Rheological and morphological properties of the model blends are thus obtained as functions of the spatial position within the channel, applied pressure drop, and shear rate at the wall.