Pulse dynamics in a power-law falling film

Abstract

AbstractWe examine the stability, dynamics and interactions of solitary waves in a two-dimensional vertically falling thin liquid film that exhibits shear-thinning effects. We use a low-dimensional two-field model that describes the evolution of both the local flow rate and the film thickness and is consistent up to second-order terms in the long-wave expansion. The shear-thinning behaviour is modelled via a power-law formulation with a Newtonian plateau in the limit of small strain rates. Our results show the emergence of a hysteresis behaviour as the control parameter (the Reynolds number) is increased which is directly related to the shear-thinning character of the liquid and can be quantified with both linear analysis arguments and a physical interpretation. We also study pulse interactions, observing that two pulses may attract or repel each other either monotonically or in an oscillatory manner. In large domains we find that for a given Reynolds number the final state depends on the initial condition, a consequence of the presence of multiple solutions.