Simulating flexible filament suspensions and their sedimentation

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• Adam Townsend, Imperial College
• Thursday 28 March 2019, 12:00-13:00
• PHYW-LT (117).

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Fabian Spill.

The sedimentation of spherical particles in viscous fluids is one of the most fundamental problems in fluid mechanics. Alone in an unbounded domain, a single particle’s sedimentation velocity is governed by Stokes’ law, but in large suspensions the hydrodynamic interactions between multiple particles lead to more complicated dynamics.

More interesting, perhaps, than spheres, is the sedimentation of microscopic filaments. These fibres arise in many industrial processes and biological contexts and, due to their elasticity, form complex fluids in suspension, with the microstructure affecting the macroscale behaviour.

Together, the motion and deformation of all filaments affect each other through their hydrodynamic interactions. In this talk, we will start by observing this nontrivial behaviour in small groups. Then for larger simulations, we look at both homogenous suspensions and sedimenting particle clouds.

Through videos of these simulations, we’ll see how flexibility can complicate, but also simplify filament trajectories, and lead to enhanced settling speeds and non-trivial dynamics in large clouds.

As part of the talk, we will provide a clear description of the method and demonstrate its use in fully 3D simulations that allow for both filament bending and twisting.

This talk is part of the Applied Mathematics Seminar Series series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• Applied Mathematics Seminar Series
• PHYW-LT (117)
• School of Mathematics Events

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