A note on exact solutions for the unsteady free convection flow of a jeffrey fluid

Abstract

In this note, we investigate the unsteady free convection flow of a Jeffrey fluid past an infinite isothermal vertical plate. Exact solutions are obtained using the Laplace transform technique. These solutions are expressed in terms of exponential and complementary error functions, and satisfy all imposed initial and boundary conditions as well as the governing equations. The expression for the shear stress is also evaluated. The corresponding solutions for a Newtonian fluid can be easily obtained as a special case. It is found from the velocity and shear stress solutions that they strongly depend on the material parameters of a Jeffrey fluid. The exact solutions obtained here can be used as a benchmark for checking the correctness of other approximate or numerical solutions. In addition, this note will help in understanding the characteristics of non-Newtonian fluid flows that are subject to free convection due to buoyancy force.