Unsteady Boundary Layer Flow of a Casson Fluid Due to an Impulsively Started Moving Flat Plate

This paper discusses the unsteady flow and heat transfer of a Casson fluid over a moving flat plate with a parallel free stream. The analytic solutions of the system of nonlinear partial differential equations valid for all times in the whole spatial domain are constructed in the series form by a homotopic approach. The influences of the governing parameters on the velocity, temperature, skin friction coefficient, and local Nusselt number are thoroughly investigated. It is revealed that an increase in the dimensionless time decreases the velocity and enhances the temperature. The surface shear stress and surface heat transfer are enhanced by increasing the Casson fluid parameter (beta) and Eckert number (Ec), respectively. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.