Minkang Zhang , Zhaosheng Yu , Zhenyu Ouyang , Yan Xia , Zhaowu Lin
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Few simulations currently explore the dynamics of microswimmers swimming through viscoelastic environments. In this study, we employ a direct-forcing fictitious domain method to investigate the collective behavior of spherical squirmers within viscoelastic fluids at low Reynolds numbers. Our findings reveal clear differences between pusher and puller swimmers: puller swimmers exhibit a tendency to aggregate into clusters, particularly noticeable in suspensions with high concentrations, which increases the average speed of the swimmers. Through an analysis of the cluster-size distribution function, we observe the larger-scale clusters of puller swimmers with increasing concentration. Moreover, the presence of fluid elasticity significantly reduces both the average swimming speed of squirmers and the fluid’s kinetic energy.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics publishes research on flowing soft matter systems. Submissions in all areas of flowing complex fluids are welcomed, including polymer melts and solutions, suspensions, colloids, surfactant solutions, biological fluids, gels, liquid crystals and granular materials. Flow problems relevant to microfluidics, lab-on-a-chip, nanofluidics, biological flows, geophysical flows, industrial processes and other applications are of interest.
Subjects considered suitable for the journal include the following (not necessarily in order of importance):
Theoretical, computational and experimental studies of naturally or technologically relevant flow problems where the non-Newtonian nature of the fluid is important in determining the character of the flow. We seek in particular studies that lend mechanistic insight into flow behavior in complex fluids or highlight flow phenomena unique to complex fluids. Examples include
Instabilities, unsteady and turbulent or chaotic flow characteristics in non-Newtonian fluids,
Multiphase flows involving complex fluids,
Problems involving transport phenomena such as heat and mass transfer and mixing, to the extent that the non-Newtonian flow behavior is central to the transport phenomena,
Novel flow situations that suggest the need for further theoretical study,
Practical situations of flow that are in need of systematic theoretical and experimental research. Such issues and developments commonly arise, for example, in the polymer processing, petroleum, pharmaceutical, biomedical and consumer product industries.