Bifurcation analysis of the travelling waves on a falling power-law fluid film

Non-linear waves on the surface of a falling film of power-law fluid on a vertical plane are investigated. The waves are described by evolution equations previously derived as a generalization of the model for the Newtonian liquid. This paper presents a numerical bifurcation analysis of the steady travelling waves on a falling film described by an equation containing three parameters. It is shown that the wave regimes are sensitive to the power-law index as well as to the film parameter and the wavenumber that is typical for the Newtonian liquid. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.