Creeping flow over a composite sphere: Solid core with porous shell

Abstract

Creeping flow past a solid sphere with a porous shell has been solved using the Stokes and Brinkman equations. The dimensionless solid core and shell radii, normalized by the square root of the shell permeability, are the two parameters that govern the flow. In the limiting cases, the analytical solution describing the flow past the composite sphere reduces to that for flow past a solid sphere and a homogeneous porous sphere. The settling rates of a solid sphere with attached threads are measured experimentally. This system can be considered a model for rigid linear molecules anchored or adsorbed onto a colloidal particle. The analytical solution for the composite sphere is in excellent agreement with the experimental results.