Squeeze Film Flow of Elastic Fluids at Steady Motion and Dynamic Loads

The role of the elasticity of the fluid is investigated in a squeeze film flow, between two parallel coaxial disks. An analysis is done for elastic fluids of low Deborah numbers, where the stress relaxation process is a first order effect to the dominant zero order effect of the viscosity. The constitutive equation of the fluid does not consider the normal-stresses. The results, which show a reduction in the load capacity for a steady speed squeeze action, are consistent with previous experiments in oil-polymer solutions. An improvement in the lubrication performance at dynamic loads is predicted and unlike in Newtonian fluids, the acceleration of the upper disk has a significant effect.