Dynamics of particles with sharp corners and edges in viscous shear flow

This work treats the hydrodynamic effects of a particle suspended in viscous shear flow. The study is mainly focused on the rotational velocity of the particle with sharp edges and corners because the particle orientation is important in the settling process. With a better understanding of the particle suspension properties, we can improve the process design in the system with shear flow and shape effects.; The numerical method employed to tackle the governing equations of fluid dynamics is the completed double layer boundary integral equation method (CDL-BIEM), which is a Fredholm integral equation of the second kind. The CDL-BIEM with spectral element methods has been tested successfully on the mobility of a cube and gives rapid convergence on that mobility of trapezoidal particles.; The rotational velocity of the trapezoidal particle in the flow bounded by a wall is examined under the action of two competing effects: gravity and shear flow. In general the rotational velocity with shear flow decreases as the particle approaches the wall. However, hydrodynamic steering effects can enhance the rotational velocity in the gravitational field. Dynamic simulations of particle settling were in good agreement with experimental observations.