Fluid-Structure Interaction Approach to Single Particle in a Square Microchannel

Abstract

Inertial microfluidic technique has been widely applied on particle/cell manipulation and detection. To understand the physical principle of this technique more detailed, the interaction of fluid and particle was studied through the Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) method. The equilibrium positions of finite-size particles with different diameters were simulated at moderate Reynolds numbers. The flow structure around two typical particles was analysed. The vortex in the front of the particle retards particle’s translation leading to the lag velocity increasing. Finally, the rotation velocity and the rotational-induced force analysed quantitatively to demonstrate that particle’s self-rotation significantly promotes its inertial migration.