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Shear versus vortex-induced lift force on a rigid sphere at moderate Re

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 December 2002

P. BAGCHI
Affiliation:
Department of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
S. BALACHANDAR
Affiliation:
Department of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA

Abstract

The lift forces on rigid spheres entrained in a vortex and a linear shear flow are computed using a direct numerical simulation. The sphere Reynolds number is in the range 10 to 100. The lift coefficient in a vortex is shown to be nearly two orders of magnitude higher than that in a shear flow. The inviscid mechanism is shown to be inadequate to account for the enhanced lift force. The effect of free rotation of the sphere is also shown to be too small to account for the enhanced lift force. Flow structure around the sphere is studied to explain the generation of the strong lift force in a vortex.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2002 Cambridge University Press

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