Abstract
An exact solution is obtained for the unsteady flow of an electrically conducting visco-elastic incompressible fluid through a porous medium on an infinite flat plate. The fluid under consideration obeys the rheological equations of state due to the Walters stress-strain relation. The plate is accelerated in the presence of a uniform magnetic field. The analysis includes the case of a solid plate as well as a porous one. The solution of the equations of motion is obtained by the use of a Laplace transform. The effects of the elasticity, magnetic field, permeability of the porous medium, and the suction of the plate on the velocity distribution, as well as on skin friction, are discussed. The analytical results are confirmed numerically. It is found that the velocity distribution increases with an increase of both elaticity and permeability, while it decreases as the magnetic parameter increases. It is also found that the skin friction decreases with an increase in the magnetic field and elasticity parameters, while it increases with an increase of both the permeability of the porous medium and the suction of the plate. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]