Fluids - Squeezing flow - How to find force, work, and flux

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the work required to bring two submerged pistons in water to touch, determining the volumetric flux of water as a function of time, and finding the force exerted at a given time. The context includes theoretical and mathematical reasoning related to fluid dynamics and axisymmetric squeezing flow.

Discussion Character

  • Homework-related
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Participants discuss the initial separation of the pistons and the need to calculate work, force, and flux.
  • One participant presents an equation for force involving pressure and integration, but expresses uncertainty about its correctness and the subsequent calculations for work and flux.
  • Another participant points out a potential error in the original force equation, suggesting that the pressure term should not be included as presented and that the pressure should be evaluated at a specific height.
  • There is a suggestion to replace variables in the equations, particularly questioning whether to use the function H(t) or z in the calculations.
  • Participants explore the integration limits for calculating work and discuss whether to consider the work done by both pistons or just one.
  • Concerns are raised about the physical interpretation of the integration limits and the assumptions regarding buoyancy and forces acting on the pistons.
  • There is a proposal to calculate the volumetric flux based on the circumference of the pistons and the height function, but this is met with skepticism regarding the integration approach.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the correctness of the equations presented, the assumptions made about the forces acting on the pistons, and the appropriate methods for calculating work and flux. No consensus is reached on the final formulations or methods to be used.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight potential errors in the equations and assumptions, including the treatment of pressure terms and the integration limits for calculating work. There is also uncertainty about the physical implications of the calculations, particularly regarding buoyancy and the forces involved.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for students and practitioners interested in fluid dynamics, particularly in the context of squeezing flow and related mathematical modeling challenges.

OldStudent0382
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Homework Statement


upload_2015-4-26_12-13-11.png

The initial separation of the pistons is 2cm. They are submerged in water at room temperature.

I need to calculate the work required to have two pistons touch, find the volumetric flux of the water as a function of time, and the force at a given time

Homework Equations


upload_2015-4-26_12-12-30.png

upload_2015-4-26_12-12-36.png

upload_2015-4-26_12-12-41.png

The Attempt at a Solution



[tex]F= \int p(r,z) 2 \pi r dr[/tex] (from 0 to R)

F=(3/2) (pi u *V)/(H^3) * [z^2*R^2+R^4/2-R^4/4+Po*R^2/2][/B]

This is as far as I got with it.

Is my solution for force correct? I'm not sure of the integration I need to do for work and flux from here. How do I find the force as a function of time?

I tried googling for lectures on axisymmetric squeezing flow, but I only found research papers on the topic that did not help me in solving this problem. What other keywords should I be searching for?
 
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OldStudent0382 said:

Homework Statement


View attachment 82605
The initial separation of the pistons is 2cm. They are submerged in water at room temperature.

I need to calculate the work required to have two pistons touch, find the volumetric flux of the water as a function of time, and the force at a given time

Homework Equations


View attachment 82602
View attachment 82603
View attachment 82604

The Attempt at a Solution



[tex]F= \int p(r,z) 2 \pi r dr[/tex] (from 0 to R)

F=(3/2) (pi u *V)/(H^3) * [z^2*R^2+R^4/2-R^4/4+Po*R^2/2][/B]

This is as far as I got with it.

Is my solution for force correct?

No. The p0 should not be inside the parenthesis. In fact, it should not be in there at all; you forgot to include the force of the water pushing down on the piston from the top. Also, you should have used the pressure at z = H to get the force on the piston, and not at arbitrary z. I didn't check the rest of your integration. Also, your equations are hard to read because you don't use Latex.

What is H as a function of time?

Chet
 
Last edited:
Here's what i meant to enter earlier:
[itex]F=\frac{3\pi \mu V}{2H^{3}}*[z^2R^2+\frac{R^4}{2}-\frac{R^4}{4}]+\pi P_{o}*R^2[/itex]

Besides replacing "z" with H, Is Po the only correction I need to make? Just dropping it? In thinking about the problem, I had a feeling it would cancel out.

For work, would I just integrate the force over the distance "z" the pistons move?

The initial gap between the two pistons is 2cm and the velocity of each piston is 0.1cm/s, so I'm taking H(t) to be
[itex]H(t)=2cm-2*0.1cm/s*t[/itex]

Thank you!
 
OldStudent0382 said:
Here's what i meant to enter earlier:
[itex]F=\frac{3\pi \mu V}{2H^{3}}*[z^2R^2+\frac{R^4}{2}-\frac{R^4}{4}]+\pi P_{o}*R^2[/itex]

Besides replacing "z" with H, Is Po the only correction I need to make?
No. I think the R4 term should have an 8 in the denominator, not a 4.
Just dropping it?
As I said, you neglected to include the downward force from the water on the top of the piston, which exactly cancels out the pressure term that you got in the integration.
In thinking about the problem, I had a feeling it would cancel out.

Your intuition was correct.

For work, would I just integrate the force over the distance "z" the pistons move?
Sure, but I don't know whether they want you to include the work on both the pistons or on just one of them.
The initial gap between the two pistons is 2cm and the velocity of each piston is 0.1cm/s, so I'm taking H(t) to be
[itex]H(t)=2cm-2*0.1cm/s*t[/itex]
The diagram looks incorrect. From your equations for the velocities, it is obvious that H is half the distance between the pistons (and z is measured upward from the center-plane). So, H = 1 - (0.1) t

Chet
 
Last edited:
Chestermiller said:
No. I think the R4 term should have an 8 in the denominator, not a 4.

As I said, you neglected to include the downward force from the air on the top of the piston, which exactly cancels out the pressure term that you got in the integration.Your intuition was correct.Sure, but I don't know whether they want you to include the work on both the pistons or on just one of them.

The diagram looks incorrect. From your equations for the velocities, it is obvious that H is half the distance between the pistons (and z is measured upward from the center-plane). So, H = 1 - (0.1) t

Chet

Thanks - I wasn't too sure about H(t).

As for where you said the 4 should be an 8.

Here's how I got it:

[itex]F=\int_{0}^{R}[\frac{3 \mu V}{4H^{3}}*[2z^2+R^2-r^2]]*2\pi r dr[/itex]

becomes:

[itex]F=\frac{3\pi \mu V}{2H^{3}}*[z^2 r^2+\frac{R^2*r^2}{2}-\frac{r^4}{4}][/itex]

Then substituting in R:
[itex]F=\frac{3\pi \mu V}{2H^{3}}*[z^2 R^2+\frac{R^4}{2}-\frac{R^4}{4}][/itex]

I don't think I'm making any mistakes -- please let me know if there is something you see that I'm overlooking!

Thanks again!
 
In addtion - for work, would taking the work done by 1 piston and multiplying it by 2 provide a valid answer? or even just integrating from -1cm to +1cm would provide the same result as integrate from 0 to +1 or -1 and multipling by two, I think. I always doubt myself on these situations and this is where I make my mistakes.
 
Should I be replacing "H" with either the function "H(t)" or z? At first I thought it should be the size of the initial gap or distance from z=0 (in this case, 1cm), but I'm starting to question if that assumption was correct.

For the volumetric flux Q(t), would it be the circumference of the pistons (2*pi*r) * ur*H(t)?

Thanks!
 
OldStudent0382 said:
Thanks - I wasn't too sure about H(t).

As for where you said the 4 should be an 8.

Here's how I got it:

[itex]F=\int_{0}^{R}[\frac{3 \mu V}{4H^{3}}*[2z^2+R^2-r^2]]*2\pi r dr[/itex]

becomes:

[itex]F=\frac{3\pi \mu V}{2H^{3}}*[z^2 r^2+\frac{R^2*r^2}{2}-\frac{r^4}{4}][/itex]

Then substituting in R:
[itex]F=\frac{3\pi \mu V}{2H^{3}}*[z^2 R^2+\frac{R^4}{2}-\frac{R^4}{4}][/itex]

I don't think I'm making any mistakes -- please let me know if there is something you see that I'm overlooking!

Thanks again!
Oooops. My mistake. Sorry. That's what I get for trying to do it in my head.

You should mention to your professors about that error in the figure regarding H. Another issue is that the platens are immersed in water. So, unless the platens are neutrally buoyant, they are going to contribute to the force, and the bottom force is going to differ from the upper force. So, I guess you need to assume that they are neutrally buoyant.

Chet
 
OldStudent0382 said:
In addtion - for work, would taking the work done by 1 piston and multiplying it by 2 provide a valid answer? or even just integrating from -1cm to +1cm would provide the same result as integrate from 0 to +1 or -1 and multipling by two, I think. I always doubt myself on these situations and this is where I make my mistakes.
You want to do the upper piston and integrate from 0 to H(0), then multiply by 2 to get the work by both the pistons. Or, do the lower piston and integrate from 0 to -H(0), then multiply by 2 to get the work by both pistons. But neither piston moves over the full gap, so, even though the result might give the right answer mathematically (I haven't tried it to make sure), it doesn't make sense physically.

Chet
 
  • #10
OldStudent0382 said:
Should I be replacing "H" with either the function "H(t)" or z? At first I thought it should be the size of the initial gap or distance from z=0 (in this case, 1cm), but I'm starting to question if that assumption was correct.
It doesn't matter what you use. Either way, you are going to be integrating from 0 to H(0).
For the volumetric flux Q(t), would it be the circumference of the pistons (2*pi*r) * ur*H(t)?
No. You have to integrate over z, from z = -H(t) to z = +H(t). Here's another (simpler) way to do it:

What is the volume of fluid between the plattens at time t when their separation is 2H(t)? What is the rate of change of that volume with t? That must be equal to minus the volumetric flow rate out. (It has nowhere else to go).

Chet
 
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