Finite-amplitude elastic waves in viscoelastic channel flow from large to zero Reynolds number

TL;DR

This study reveals that finite-amplitude travelling waves in viscoelastic channel flow are more prevalent and can trigger nonlinear instabilities at lower Weissenberg and Reynolds numbers than previously known, influencing flow dynamics.

Contribution

The paper demonstrates the existence of subcritical travelling waves in viscoelastic flow at lower parameters than the linear instability threshold, expanding understanding of flow stability and turbulence.

Findings

Travelling waves exist at lower Wi and Re than the neutral curve.

These waves are weak on the lower branch, indicating susceptibility to nonlinear instability.

Waves are present even at high polymer concentrations where no linear instability occurs.

Abstract

Using branch continuation in the FENE-P model, we show that finite-amplitude travelling waves borne out of the recently-discovered linear instability of viscoelastic channel flow (Khalid et al. {\em J. Fluid Mech.} {\bf 915}, A43, 2021) are substantially subcritical reaching much lower Weissenberg ($Wi$) numbers than on the neutral curve at a given Reynolds ($Re$) number over $Re \in [0,3000]$. The travelling waves on the lower branch are surprisingly weak indicating that viscolastic channel flow is susceptible to (nonlinear) instability triggered by small finite amplitude disturbances for $Wi$ and $Re$ well below the neutral curve. The critical $Wi$ for these waves to appear in a saddle node bifurcation decreases monotonically from, for example, $\approx 37$ at $Re=3000$ down to $\approx 7.5$ at $Re=0$ at the solvent-to-total-viscosity ratio $\beta=0.9$. In this latter creeping flow limit, we also show that these waves exist at $Wi \lesssim 50$ for higher polymer concentrations - $\beta \in [0.5,0.97)$ -- where there is no known linear instability. Our results therefore indicate that these travelling waves -- found in simulations and named `arrowheads' by Dubief et al. {\em arXiv}.2006.06770 (2020) - exist much more generally in $(Wi,Re, \beta)$ parameter space than their spawning neutral curve and hence can either directly, or indirectly through their instabilities, influence the dynamics seen far away from where the flow is linearly unstable. Possible connections to elastic and elasto-inertial turbulence are discussed.