Constitutive relations associated with the Mott-Smith distribution function

Abstract

It is shown that the distribution function assumed by Mott-Smith determines a unique relation between heat flux, stress, and fluid velocity given by q = (3/2) tau u - i.e., it provides a constitutive relation for heat flux, and it also determines a simple expression for the ratio of third-order central moments. These expressions allow the equation of transfer for (C sub x) squared to be cast in a form that yields a nonlinear constitutive relation for stress. The results obtained from the Mott-Smith ansatz are compared with the theory of Baganoff and Nathenson (1970) and results from a numerical solution of the Boltzmann equation for shock-wave structure obtained by Hicks et al. (1972).