A COMPUTER-SIMULATION OF COMPLEX FLOWS OF FIBER SUSPENSIONS

A numerical study is presented for dilute to semi-concentrated fibre s uspension flows in a Newtonian solvent through various contraction and expansion geometries. A time-stepping Taylor-Galerkin/pressure correc tion numerical scheme is employed to obtain steady solutions. We cover ranges of fibre concentrations and inertia beyond those in the litera ture, giving consideration to co-linear and orthogonal fibre alignment constitutive models adopting a quadratic closure approximation. Close agreement is obtained with both experimental and, where available, ot her numerical results for these problems.