Particles In Simple Shear Flow Research Articles

Study of flow resistance coefficients acting on regular non-spherical particles in simple shear flow at moderate Reynolds numbers

This contribution is devoted to the study of the aerodynamic characteristics of non-spherical particles of definite regular shape, such as prolate and oblate ellipsoids as well as cylinders, immersed in a locally linear shear flow. The flow resistance coefficients of drag, lift and pitching torque are computed by means of the Particle Resolved Direct Numerical Simulation (PR-DNS) technique for such shapes as function of the Reynolds number Re. The parameter space comprises particle aspect ratio, AR, fluid spin ratio, ζ, and particle orientation angle, α. The Reynolds numbers of interest are in the intermediate range 1≤Re≤100, common in industrial and environmental processes. To properly understand and explain the obtained results, the role of the friction and pressure contributions to total flow coefficients is analyzed in detail for the different cases, allowing the differences between the considered shapes to be pointed out. On the other hand, the behavior of the pressure and skin friction coefficients in the particle plane of symmetry parallel to the flow is investigated as a function of the previous parameters (shape, AR, ζ, α), which provides further insights into the features of the shear flow around the non-spherical particles at finite Re. Finally, the influence of the shear flow magnitude and incidence angle on the location of the center of aerodynamic force is devised for the three shapes considered as function of Reynolds number and particle aspect ratio. It is expected that the information generated in this work will be useful for researchers to enhance the modeling of non-spherical particles immersed in non-uniform flows.

Shear thickening and history-dependent rheology of monodisperse suspensions with finite inertia via an immersed boundary lattice Boltzmann method

Three-dimensional direct numerical simulations of dense suspensions of monodisperse spherical particles in simple shear flow have been performed at particle Reynolds numbers between 0.1 and 0.6. The particles translate and rotate under the influence of the applied shear. The lattice Boltzmann method was used to solve the flow of the interstitial Newtonian liquid, and an immersed boundary method was used to enforce the no-slip boundary condition at the surface of each particle. Short range spring forces were applied between colliding particles over sub-grid scale distances to prevent overlap. We computed the relative apparent viscosity for solids volume fractions up to 38% for several shear rates and particle concentrations and discuss the effects of these variables on particle rotation and cluster formations. The apparent viscosities increase with increasing particle Reynolds number (shear thickening) and solids fraction. As long as the particle Reynolds number is low (0.1), the computed viscosities are in good agreement with experimental measurements, as well as theoretical and empirical equations. For higher Reynolds numbers, we find much higher viscosities, which we relate to slower particle rotation and clustering. Simulations with a sudden change in shear rate also reveal a history (or hysteresis) effect due to the formation of clusters. We quantify the changes in particle rotation and clustering as a function of the Reynolds number and volume fraction.

Numerical investigation of dynamics of elliptical magnetic microparticles in shear flows

We study the rotational dynamics of magnetic prolate elliptical particles in a simple shear flow subjected to a uniform magnetic field, using direct numerical simulations based on the finite element method. Focusing on paramagnetic and ferromagnetic particles, we investigate the effects of the magnetic field strength and direction on their rotational dynamics. In the weak field regime (below a critical field strength), the particles are able to perform complete rotations, and the symmetry property of particle rotational speed is influenced by the direction and strength of the magnetic field. In the strong field regime (above a critical strength), the particles are pinned at steady angles. The steady angle depends on both the direction and strength of the magnetic field. Our results show that paramagnetic and ferromagnetic particles exhibit markedly different rotational dynamics in a uniform magnetic field. The numerical findings are in good agreement with theoretical prediction. Our numerical investigation further reveals drastically different lateral migration behaviors of paramagnetic and ferromagnetic particles in a wall-bounded simple shear flow under a uniform magnetic field. These two kinds of particles can thus be separated by combining a shear flow and a uniform magnetic field. We also study the lateral migration of paramagnetic and ferromagnetic particles in a pressure-driven flow (a more practical flow configuration in microfluidics), and observe similar lateral migration behaviors. These findings demonstrate a simple but useful way to manipulate non-spherical microparticles in microfluidic devices.

The interaction of two spherical particles in simple-shear flows of yield stress fluids

This study focuses on the interaction of two small freely-moving spheres in a linear flow field of yield stress fluids. We perform a series of experiments over a range of shear rates and different shear histories using an original apparatus and with the aid of conventional rheometry, Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and Particle Tracking Velocimetry (PTV). We investigate the flow field around a single sphere as well as two spheres in a simple-shear flow. The flow is Stokesian and the Bingham number is in the range of 0 ≤ B ≤ 2. To explore the limit of zero Bingham number, we use both Newtonian and shear thinning suspending fluids. We use guar gum solutions and Carbopol gels as shear thinning and yield stress test fluids, respectively. We show that the presence of a slight elasticity, which is unavoidable when dealing with polymer solutions, plays an important role in establishing the flow field, e.g., disturbance velocities and stream lines around a single sphere as well as particle trajectories. Therefore, ideal yield stress fluid models cannot provide a full description of flow problems involving particles in practical yield stress fluids. The flow field around a single sphere can be used to understand the two particle interactions. We show how particle-particle contact and non-Newtonian behaviors result in relative trajectories with fore-aft asymmetry. Particularly, the fore-aft asymmetry depends on the Deborah number, Bingham number, shear history, initial offset and roughness of the particles. Finally, we discuss how the relative particle trajectories may affect the microstructure of complex suspensions and consequently the bulk rheology.

The effect of inertia on the time period of rotation of an anisotropic particle in simple shear flow

We calculate the leading-order correction to the time period of rotation of a neutrally buoyant spheroid of arbitrary aspect ratio, in a simple shear flow ($\boldsymbol{u}^{\infty }=\dot{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FE}}y\mathbf{1}_{1}$; $\mathbf{1}_{1}$ is the unit vector in the flow direction, $y$ being the coordinate along the gradient direction), in its long-time orbit set up by the weak fluid inertial drift at $O(Re)$. Here, $Re$ is the microscale Reynolds number, a dimensionless measure of the fluid inertial effects on the length scale of the spheroid, and is defined as $Re=\dot{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FE}}L^{2}\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}/\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}$, where $L$ is the semimajor axis of the spheroid, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}$ and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}$ are respectively the viscosity and density of the fluid, and $\dot{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FE}}$ is the shear rate. This long-time orbit is the tumbling orbit for prolate spheroids; for oblate spheroids, it is the spinning orbit for aspect ratios greater than $0.137$, and can be either the tumbling or the spinning orbit for oblate spheroids of aspect ratios less than $0.137$. We also calculate the leading-order correction to the time period of rotation of a neutrally buoyant triaxial ellipsoid in a simple shear flow, rotating with its intermediate principal axis aligned along the vorticity of the flow; the latter calculation is in light of recent evidence, by way of numerical simulations (Rosen, PhD dissertation, 2016, Stockholm), of the aforementioned rotation being stabilized by weak inertia. The correction to the time period for arbitrary $Re$ is expressed as a volume integral using a generalized reciprocal theorem formulation. For $Re\ll 1$, it is shown that the correction at $O(Re)$ is zero for spheroids (with aspect ratios of order unity) as well as triaxial ellipsoids in their long-time orbits. The first correction to the time period therefore occurs at $O(Re^{3/2})$, and has a singular origin, arising from fluid inertial effects in the outer region (distances from the spheroid or triaxial ellipsoid of the order of the inertial screening length of $O(LRe^{-1/2})$), where the leading-order Stokes approximation ceases to be valid. Since the correction comes from the effects of inertia in the far field, the rotating spheroid (triaxial ellipsoid) is approximated as a time-dependent point-force-dipole singularity, allowing for the reciprocal theorem integral to be evaluated in Fourier space. It is shown for all relevant cases that fluid inertia at $O(Re^{3/2})$ leads to an increase in the time period of rotation compared with that in the Stokes limit, consistent with the results of recent numerical simulations at finite $Re$. Finally, combination of the $O(Re^{3/2})$ correction derived here with the $O(Re)$ correction derived earlier by Dabade et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 791, 2016, 631703) yields a uniformly valid description of the first effects of inertia for spheroids of all aspect ratios, including prediction of the arrest of rotation for extreme-aspect-ratio spheroids.

Orientational dynamics of a triaxial ellipsoid in simple shear flow: Influence of inertia.

The motion of a single ellipsoidal particle in simple shear flow can provide valuable insights toward understanding suspension flows with nonspherical particles. Previously, extensive studies have been performed on the ellipsoidal particle with rotational symmetry, a so-called spheroid. The nearly prolate ellipsoid (one major and two minor axes of almost equal size) is known to perform quasiperiodic or even chaotic orbits in the absence of inertia. With small particle inertia, the particle is also known to drift toward this irregular motion. However, it is not previously understood what effects from fluid inertia could be, which is of highest importance for particles close to neutral buoyancy. Here, we find that fluid inertia is acting strongly to suppress the chaotic motion and only very weak fluid inertia is sufficient to stabilize a rotation around the middle axis. The mechanism responsible for this transition is believed to be centrifugal forces acting on fluid, which is dragged along with the rotational motion of the particle. With moderate fluid inertia, it is found that nearly prolate triaxial particles behave similarly to the perfectly spheroidal particles. Finally, we also are able to provide predictions about the stable rotational states for the general triaxial ellipsoid in simple shear with weak inertia.

Chaotic rotation of a spheroidal particle in simple shear flow.

The angular motion of a neutrally buoyant prolate spheroidal particle in simple shear flow has previously been found to follow two-dimensional dynamics similar to a Duffing-van der Pol oscillator as a consequence of inertia of the surrounding fluid. This behavior was however only present if the aspect ratio is large enough. When decreasing the particle aspect ratio, the particle could be found to perform period-doubled or chaotic orbits as effects of particle inertia also influence the dynamics. In this work, it is demonstrated that the onset of complex dynamics is through a Shilnikov bifurcation as the log-rolling state (particle is rotating around its symmetry axis, which is parallel to the vorticity direction) is transformed from a regular saddle node into a saddle focus when particle inertia is increased. Furthermore, it is shown that the same also applies for the two dimensional Duffing-van der Pol oscillator when including inertial terms. These results open up the possibility of developing a reduced model to mimic the influence of both fluid and particle inertia on the angular dynamics of spheroidal particles in simple shear flow, which can be used in fluid simulations with Lagrangian particles.

The effect of inertia on the orientation dynamics of anisotropic particles in simple shear flow

It is well known that, under inertialess conditions, the orientation vector of a torque-free neutrally buoyant spheroid in an ambient simple shear flow rotates along so-called Jeffery orbits, a one-parameter family of closed orbits on the unit sphere centred around the direction of the ambient vorticity (Jeffery, Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A, vol. 102, 1922, pp. 161–179). We characterize analytically the irreversible drift in the orientation of such torque-free spheroidal particles of an arbitrary aspect ratio, across Jeffery orbits, that arises due to weak inertial effects. The analysis is valid in the limit $Re,St\ll 1$, where $Re=(\dot{{\it\gamma}}L^{2}{\it\rho}_{f})/{\it\mu}$ and $St=(\dot{{\it\gamma}}L^{2}{\it\rho}_{p})/{\it\mu}$ are the Reynolds and Stokes numbers, which, respectively, measure the importance of fluid inertial forces and particle inertia in relation to viscous forces at the particle scale. Here, $L$ is the semimajor axis of the spheroid, ${\it\rho}_{p}$ and ${\it\rho}_{f}$ are the particle and fluid densities, $\dot{{\it\gamma}}$ is the ambient shear rate, and ${\it\mu}$ is the suspending fluid viscosity. A reciprocal theorem formulation is used to obtain the contributions to the drift due to particle and fluid inertia, the latter in terms of a volume integral over the entire fluid domain. The resulting drifts in orientation at $O(Re)$ and $O(St)$ are evaluated, as a function of the particle aspect ratio, for both prolate and oblate spheroids using a vector spheroidal harmonics formalism. It is found that particle inertia, at $O(St)$, causes a prolate spheroid to drift towards an eventual tumbling motion in the flow–gradient plane. Oblate spheroids, on account of the $O(St)$ drift, move in the opposite direction, approaching a steady spinning motion about the ambient vorticity axis. The period of rotation in the spinning mode must remain unaltered to all orders in $St$. For the tumbling mode, the period remains unaltered at $O(St)$. At $O(St^{2})$, however, particle inertia speeds up the rotation of prolate spheroids. The $O(Re)$ drift due to fluid inertia drives a prolate spheroid towards a tumbling motion in the flow–gradient plane for all initial orientations and for all aspect ratios. Interestingly, for oblate spheroids, there is a bifurcation in the orientation dynamics at a critical aspect ratio of approximately 0.14. Oblate spheroids with aspect ratios greater than this critical value drift in a direction opposite to that for prolate spheroids, and eventually approach a spinning motion about the ambient vorticity axis starting from any initial orientation. For smaller aspect ratios, a pair of non-trivial repelling orbits emerge from the flow–gradient plane, and divide the unit sphere into distinct basins of orientations that asymptote to the tumbling and spinning modes. With further decrease in the aspect ratio, these repellers move away from the flow–gradient plane, eventually coalescing onto an arc of the great circle in which the gradient–vorticity plane intersects the unit sphere, in the limit of a vanishing aspect ratio. Thus, sufficiently thin oblate spheroids, similar to prolate spheroids, drift towards an eventual tumbling motion irrespective of their initial orientation. The drifts at $O(St)$ and at $O(Re)$ are combined to obtain the drift for a neutrally buoyant spheroid. The particle inertia contribution remains much smaller than the fluid inertia contribution for most aspect ratios and density ratios of order unity. As a result, the critical aspect ratio for the bifurcation in the orientation dynamics of neutrally buoyant oblate spheroids changes only slightly from its value based only on fluid inertia. The existence of Jeffery orbits implies a rheological indeterminacy, and the dependence of the suspension shear viscosity on initial conditions. For prolate spheroids and oblate spheroids of aspect ratio greater than 0.14, inclusion of inertia resolves the indeterminacy. Remarkably, the existence of the above bifurcation implies that, for a dilute suspension of oblate spheroids with aspect ratios smaller than 0.14, weak stochastic fluctuations (residual Brownian motion being analysed here as an example) play a crucial role in obtaining a shear viscosity independent of the initial orientation distribution. The inclusion of Brownian motion leads to a new smaller critical aspect ratio of approximately 0.013. For sufficiently large $Re\,Pe_{r}$, the peak in the steady-state orientation distribution shifts rapidly from the spinning- to the tumbling-mode location as the spheroid aspect ratio decreases below this critical value; here, $Pe_{r}=\dot{{\it\gamma}}/D_{r}$, with $D_{r}$ being the Brownian rotary diffusivity, so that $Re\,Pe_{r}$ measures the relative importance of inertial drift and Brownian rotary diffusion. The shear viscosity, plotted as a function of $Re\,Pe_{r}$, exhibits a sharp transition from a shear-thickening to a shear-thinning behaviour, as the oblate spheroid aspect ratio decreases below 0.013. Our results are compared in detail to earlier analytical work for limiting cases involving either nearly spherical particles or slender fibres with weak inertia, and to the results of recent numerical simulations at larger values of $Re$ and $St$.

Topology of pair-sphere trajectories in finite inertia suspension shear flow and its effects on microstructure and rheology

The relative motion of pairs of spheres in finite inertia shear flow is examined. The pair relative trajectory is studied, using lattice-Boltzmann simulation, both for pairs which are isolated and for pairs in suspension of solid volume fraction of ϕ ≤ 0.3. For the suspension, the average trajectory and aspects of its dispersion are considered. For neutrally buoyant particles in simple-shear flow, particle-scale inertia is represented by a Reynolds number Re=ργ̇a2μ, where γ̇ is the shear rate, a is the particle radius, and ρ and μ are the density and viscosity of the Newtonian suspending fluid. The pair trajectories in a dilute inertial suspension have the same basic features as the streamlines around an isolated particle at similar Re: reversing, in-plane and off-plane spiraling, and open but fore-aft asymmetric trajectories are observed. The origin of the off-plane spirals is examined in detail in this work. The average pair trajectory space in a suspension of finite volume fraction is found to be qualitatively similar to the dilute suspension pair trajectories, as the spiraling and reversing zones are retained; the influence of ϕ and Re on the extension of different zones is described. The role of the average pair trajectory in setting the microstructure of the suspension is analyzed through a convection equation description of the pair distribution function, showing extreme accumulation at contact consistent with sampling from simulation. The influence of the microstructure on the bulk rheology is considered, with a focus on the combined effects of ϕ and Re on the near contact structural effects on rheology.

Rotational motion of a thin axisymmetric disk in a low Reynolds number linear flow

The motion of thin, torque-free axisymmetric rigid particles with fore-aft symmetry in low Reynolds number linear flows is investigated. The rotational motion of such a particle is fully determined by the effective aspect ratio (κe), defined as the aspect ratio of a spheroid having the same period of rotation as that of the particle. We determine the effective aspect ratio for a family of shapes given by, y(ρ) = κ(1 − ρ2)α where α is a positive parameter, ρ is the radial distance from the particle center in polar coordinates, y is half the thickness of the particle, κ is the aspect ratio of the particle defined as the ratio of the thickness (L) of the particle parallel to the axis of symmetry to its diameter (d) perpendicular to the axis of symmetry. This family includes an oblate spheroid (\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\alpha =\frac{1}{2}$\end{document}α=12) and the shape approaches a blunt circular cylinder shape as α → 0. For a thin particle, the effective aspect ratio scales like \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\smash{G_{A}^{\frac{1}{2}}}$\end{document}GA12, where GA is the torque non-dimensionalized by μγd3 acting on a particle held in a fixed alignment in a simple shear flow with its longer dimensions in the flow-vorticity plane. Here, μ is the fluid viscosity and γ is the shear rate. Starting with the integral representation of the Stokes flow, an analysis based on a matched asymptotic expansions approach is performed to determine the scaling of the torque acting on a stationary particle in simple shear flow with κ as the small parameter. Using boundary element method simulations, the exact torques are calculated and the scaling obtained from the analysis is verified. We find that there are two regions of interest that contribute to the torque, a flat outer region covering most of the disk area and a boundary layer region of large slope at the edge. For \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\alpha >\frac{1}{4}$\end{document}α>14, the torque is dominated by the stresses acting on the flat surface of the particle and is O(κ2) to the leading order. For these shapes, the effective aspect ratio scales like the aspect ratio of the particle. On the other hand, for \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\alpha \le \frac{1}{4}$\end{document}α≤14, the leading order torque contribution comes from the boundary layer region. To the leading order, the torque scales as O(κ2logκ) for \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\alpha =\frac{1}{4}$\end{document}α=14 and as \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$O(\kappa ^\frac{3}{2(1-\alpha )})$\end{document}O(κ32(1−α)) for \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\alpha <\frac{1}{4}$\end{document}α<14. In general, a particle with a blunt edge is found to rotate faster than a particle of the same aspect ratio for which the slope of the edge varies slowly. The fastest rotating particle is identified to be a cylindrical disk for which κe = 1.12κ3/4.

A numerical study of granular shear flows of rod-like particles using the discrete element method

AbstractThe effect of particle aspect ratio and surface geometry on granular flows is assessed by performing numerical simulations of rod-like particles in simple shear flows using the discrete element method (DEM). The effect of particle surface geometry is explored by adopting two types of particles: glued-spheres particles and true cylindrical particles. The particle aspect ratio varies from one to six. Compared to frictionless spherical particles, smaller stresses are obtained for the glued-spheres and cylindrical particle systems in dilute and moderately dense flows due to the loss of translational energy, which is partially converted to rotational energy, for the non-spherical particles. For dilute granular flows of non-spherical particles, stresses are primarily affected by the particle aspect ratio rather than the surface geometry. As the particle aspect ratio increases, the effective particle projected area in the plane perpendicular to the flow direction increases, so that the probability of the occurrence of the particle collisions increases, leading to a reduction in particle velocity fluctuation and therefore a decrease in the stresses. Hence, a simple modification is made to the kinetic theory for granular flows to describe the stress tensors for dilute flows of non-spherical particles by incorporating a normalized effective particle projected area to account for the effect of particle collision probability. For dense granular flows, the stresses depend on both the particle aspect ratio and the surface geometry. Sharp stress increases at high solid volume fractions are observed for the glued-spheres particles with large aspect ratios due to the bumpy surfaces, which impede the flow. However, smaller stresses are obtained for the true cylindrical particles with large aspect ratios at high solid volume fractions. This trend is attributed to the combined effects of the smooth particle surfaces and the particle alignments such that the major/long axes of particles are aligned in the flow direction. In addition, the apparent friction coefficient, defined as the ratio of shear to normal stresses, is found to decrease as the particle aspect ratio increases and/or the particle surface becomes smoother at high solid volume fractions.

Mass/heat transfer from a neutrally buoyant sphere in simple shear flow at finite Reynolds and Peclet numbers

AbstractTheoretical analyses of mass/heat transfer from a neutrally buoyant particle in simple shear flow indicate that mass/heat must diffuse across a region of closed streamlines of finite thickness at zero Reynolds number, whereas spiraling streamlines allow the formation of a thin mass transfer boundary layer at small but non‐zero Reynolds numbers (Subramanian and Koch, Phys Rev Lett. 2006;96:134503; Subramanian and Koch, Phys Fluids. 2006;18: 073302). This article presents the first numerical results for mass/heat transfer at finite Reynolds and Peclet numbers. The simulations indicate that fluid particles in the flow‐gradient plane spiral away from the particle for Reynolds numbers smaller than about 2.5 while they spiral toward the particle for higher Reynolds numbers. Solutions of the Navier‐Stokes equations coupled with a boundary layer analysis of mass transfer yield predictions for the rate of mass transfer at asymptotically large Peclet numbers and Reynolds numbers up to 10. Simulations of mass transfer for zero Reynolds number and finite Peclet numbers confirm Acrivos' (Acrivos, J Fluid Mech. 1971;46:233–240) prediction that the Nusselt number approaches a finite value with increasing Peclet number. Simulations at finite Reynolds numbers and Peclet numbers up to 10,000 confirm the theoretical predictions for the concentration gradient at the particle surface at angular positions away from the flow‐gradient plane. However, the wake near the flow‐gradient plane remains too large at this Peclet number to yield a quantitative agreement of the overall rate of mass transfer with the theory for asymptotically large Peclet number. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2011

Effect of viscoelasticity on the rotation of a sphere in shear flow

Abstract When particles are dispersed in viscoelastic rather than Newtonian media, the hydrodynamics will be changed entailing differences in suspension rheology. The disturbance velocity profiles and stress distributions around the particle will depend on the viscoelastic material functions. Even in inertialess flows, changes in particle rotation and migration will occur. The problem of the rotation of a single spherical particle in simple shear flow in viscoelastic fluids was recently studied to understand the effects of changes in the rheological properties with both numerical simulations [D’Avino et al., J. Rheol. 52 (2008) 1331–1346] and experiments [Snijkers et al., J. Rheol. 53 (2009) 459–480]. In the simulations, different constitutive models were used to demonstrate the effects of different rheological behavior. In the experiments, fluids with different constitutive properties were chosen. In both studies a slowing down of the rotation speed of the particles was found, when compared to the Newtonian case, as elasticity increases. Surprisingly, the extent of the slowing down of the rotation rate did not depend strongly on the details of the fluid rheology, but primarily on the Weissenberg number defined as the ratio between the first normal stress difference and the shear stress. In the present work, a quantitative comparison between the experimental measurements and novel simulation results is made by considering more realistic constitutive equations as compared to the model fluids used in previous numerical simulations [D’Avino et al., J. Rheol. 52 (2008) 1331–1346]. A multimode Giesekus model with Newtonian solvent as constitutive equation is fitted to the experimentally obtained linear and nonlinear fluid properties and used to simulate the rotation of a torque-free sphere in a range of Weissenberg numbers similar to those in the experiments. A good agreement between the experimental and numerical results is obtained. The local torque and pressure distributions on the particle surface calculated by simulations are shown.

Dynamic simulation of non-spherical particulate suspensions

Particle-level simulation has been employed to investigate rheology and microstructure of non-spherical particulate suspensions in a simple shear flow. Non-spherical particles in Newtonian fluids are modeled as three-dimensional clusters of neutrally buoyant, non-Brownian spheres linked together by Hookean-type constraint force. Rotne–Prager correction to velocity disturbance has been employed to account for far-field hydrodynamic interactions. An isolated rod-like particle in simple shear flow exhibits a periodic orientation distribution, commonly referred to as Jeffery orbit. Lubrication-like repulsive potential between clusters have been included in simulation of rod-like suspensions at various aspect ratios over dilute to semi-dilute volume fractions. Shear viscosity evaluated by orientation distribution qualitatively agrees with one obtained by direct computation of shear stress.

Motion of a spherical particle inside a liquid film

The motion of a spherical particle inside a liquid film coated on a plane wall is considered under conditions of Stokes flow in the limit of vanishing capillary number where the interfacial deformation is infinitesimal. The problem is formulated in terms of a system of one-dimensional integral equations for the velocity and traction Fourier coefficients along the trace of the interface, wall, and particle contour in a meridional plane, and the solution is found using a boundary-element method. Comprehensive results for the force and torque resistance coefficients are presented in the case of particle rotation and translation in quiescent fluids. The velocity of translation and angular velocity or rotation of a freely suspended particle in simple shear flow are computed and discussed over a broad range of conditions.

Trajectory analysis for non-Brownian inertial suspensions in simple shear flow

We analyse pair trajectories of equal-sized spherical particles in simple shear flow for small but finite Stokes numbers. The Stokes number, $\mbox{\textit{St}} \,{=}\, \dot{\gamma} \tau_p$, is a dimensionless measure of particle inertia; here, $\tau_p$ is the inertial relaxation time of an individual particle and $\dot{\gamma}$ is the shear rate. In the limit of weak particle inertia, a regular small-$\mbox{\textit{St}}$ expansion of the particle velocity is used in the equations of motion to obtain trajectory equations to the desired order in $\mbox{\textit{St}}$. The equations for relative trajectories are then solved, to $O(\mbox{\textit{St}})$, in the dilute limit, including only pairwise interactions. Particle inertia is found to destroy the fore–aft symmetry of the zero-Stokes trajectories, and finite-$\mbox{\textit{St}}$ open trajectories suffer net transverse displacements in the velocity gradient and vorticity directions. The vorticity displacement remains $O(\mbox{\textit{St}})$, while the scaling of the gradient displacement increases from $O(\mbox{\textit{St}})$ for far-field open trajectories, to $O(\mbox{\textit{St}}^{{1}/{2}})$ for open trajectories with $O(\mbox{\textit{St}}^{{1}/{2}})$ upstream gradient offsets. The gradient displacement also changes sign, being negative close to the plane of the reference sphere (the shearing plane) on account of dominant lubrication interactions, and then becoming positive at larger off-plane separations. The transverse displacements accompanying successive pair interactions lead to a diffusive behaviour for long times. The shear-induced diffusivity in the vorticity direction is $O(\mbox{\textit{St}}^2\phi \dot{\gamma} a^2)$, while that in the gradient direction scales as $O(\mbox{\textit{St}}^2 \ln \mbox{\textit{St}}\,\phi \dot{\gamma} a^2)$ and $O(\mbox{\textit{St}}^2 \phi \ln (1/\phi) \dot{\gamma} a^2)$ in the limits $\phi \,{\ll}\, \mbox{\textit{St}}^{{1}/{3}}$ and $\mbox{\textit{St}}^{{1}/{3}} \,{\ll}\, \phi \,{\ll}\, 1$, respectively. Further, the region of zero-Stokes closed trajectories is destroyed, and there exists a new attracting limit cycle whose location in the shearing plane is, at leading order, independent of $\mbox{\textit{St}}$. The extension of the present analysis to include a generic linear flow, and the implications of the finite-$\mbox{\textit{St}}$ trajectory modifications for coagulating systems are discussed.

Inertial effects on the orientation of nearly spherical particles in simple shear flow

We investigate theoretically the first effects of inertia on the orientation dynamics of a torque-free spheroidal particle in simple shear flow when the deviation from sphericity is small. The inertialess motion of any axisymmetric particle in simple shear represents a degenerate limit, the spheroidal geometry being a special case; as originally found by Jeffery (Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A, vol. 102, 1922, p. 161), the orientation vector moves indefinitely along any one of a single-parameter family of closed orbits centred around the vorticity axis, the distribution across orbits being determined by initial conditions. We consider both the inertia of the particle and that of the suspending fluid, characterized by the Stokes (.

Interception of two spheroidal particles in shear flow

A numerical method is developed for simulating the motion of particles with arbitrary shape in an effectively infinite or bounded viscous flow. The particle translational and angular velocities are computed directly by solving an integral equation of the second kind arising from the double-layer representation for Stokes flow, subject to a specified force and torque. The deflated integral equation is solved by the method successive substitutions using a spectral boundary-element method. In the case of force- and torque-free particles, the contribution of the particles to the effective viscosity of the suspension is expressed in terms of the distribution density of the double-layer potential over the particle surfaces. The method is applied to investigate the interception of two spheroidal particles in simple shear flow, with emphasis on the net particle displacement and shift in the phase of rotation after separation, and on the transient signature of the interception on the effective viscosity of the suspension. The net particle displacement normal to the streamlines of the shear flow is found to have both positive and negative values depending on the relative particle configuration before interception. For moderate particle separations, the phase of rotation is shifted only slightly with respect to the Jeffery orbit executed by a particle in isolation.

Orbiting motion of a freely suspended spheroid near a plane wall

The effect of a plane wall on the orbiting motion of a freely suspended prolate or oblate spheroidal particle in simple shear flow is described by numerical simulation. The particle translational and angular velocities are computed directly by solving an integral equation of the second kind using a spectral boundary-element method for Stokes flow. The presence of the wall modifies the Jeffery orbits executed by the particle director, and causes the particle centre to perform a lateral and transverse periodic motion deviating from the straight longitudinal path. The effect of the wall is moderate for prolate particles and most significant for oblate particles. In the second case, the complete orbiting motion is suppressed when the particle is sufficiently close to the wall, and the particle director precesses around an axis that is tilted with respect to the vorticity and direction of the simple shear flow, revealing that a neutrally stable steady orientation is established when the particle is in contact with the wall.

Migration of twisted ribbon-like particles in simple shear flow

The motion of rigid twisted ribbon-like particles in shear flow is studied by computer simulation. It is shown that the twisted ribbon migrates in the vorticity direction in strong shear flow with the sign determined by the chirality: the right-handed particles and their mirror-imaged particles move in opposite directions. This enables the separation of chiral particles from the racemic mixture. The average migration velocity in the vorticity direction is studied as a function of the shear rate, the length, and the pitch of the particle.