Institute of Fundamental Technological Research

Exact expressions are derived for the pair and three-body hydrodynamic interactions between a sphere and a number of small particles immersed in a viscous incompressible fluid. The analysis is based on the Stokes equations of low Reynolds number hydrodynamics. The results follow by a combination of the solutions for flow about a sphere with no-slip boundary condition derived by Stokes and Kirchhoff and the result derived by Oseen for the Green tensor of Stokes equations in the presence of a fixed sphere.

Hydrodynamics, Tensor methods, Stokes flows, Boundary value problems, Torque

Exemplary dynamics of three point particles falling under gravity in Stokes flow with periodic boundary conditions is presented in a movie. Stable and unstable solutions of the equations of Stokesian dynamics are explicitly shown for two initial configurations: equilateral triangles with side lengths close to a critical size.

Kinematics, Suspensions, Boundary value problems, Viscosity, Anisotropy

Solutions of the equations of Stokesian dynamics for point particles are found for periodic boundary conditions with three particles per unit cell of a simple cubic lattice. Two particles per cell move with equal velocity, but three particles per cell usually lead to irregular motion. For a class of initial conditions with special symmetry motions are found that are periodic in time as well as in space. It is shown that there is a range of stability in which the motions are robust under perturbation.

Tensor methods, Boundary value problems, Eigenvalues, Periodic solutions, Equations of motion