Energetic balance for the Rayleigh-Stokes problem of a Maxwell fluid

The energetic balance in the Rayleigh-Stokes problem for a Maxwell fluid is studied for several initial and/or boundary conditions. In the case of the first problem of Stokes, in comparison with the Newtonian fluid, the power of the wall shear stress and the dissipation increase while the boundary layer thickness decreases. A similar result is obtained for a series solution. In the case of the decay of the previous steady motion as well as for the Newtonian fluid, the power of the wall shear stress is null and the boundary layer thickness is the same. Finally, the second problem of Stokes is also considered. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.