Stability Characteristics of Planar Rivlin–Ericksen Fluid Interface With Mass and Heat Transfer

The interface of viscous-Rivlin-Ericksen fluids is analyzed through the linear theory of stability analysis when mass and heat is transferring across the interface. The Rivlin-Ericksen fluid lies in the upper region while the lower region of the interface contains viscous fluid. The gravitational acceleration destabilizes the top-heavy arrangement and interface instability is governed by Rayleigh–Taylor instability. The two-dimensional interface is considered, and the viscous potential flow theory is employed to establish the relationship between perturbation's growth and wave number. This relationship is analyzed, and the perturbation's growth is plotted for various flow parameters. A marginal stability condition is obtained, and it is given in terms of heat transport coefficient $Λ$ and wave number. The marginal stability criterion is analyzed using the well-known Newton–Raphson method. The heat and mass transfer phenomenon drives the unstable interface toward stability. It is pointed out that the viscoelastic coefficient $λo$ influences the interface to be stable while the thickness of the viscoelastic fluid makes the interface unstable. Atwood numbers and Weber numbers show destabilizing behavior.