The force and torque on a particle that translates, rotates, or is held stationary in an incident flow within a channel with parallel-sided walls, are considered in the limit of Stokes flow. Assuming that the particle has an axisymmetric shape with axis perpendicular to the channel walls, the problem is formulated in terms of a boundary integral equation that is capable of describing arbitrary three-dimensional Stokes flow in an axisymmetric domain. The method involves: (a) representing the flow in terms of a single-layer potential that is defined over the physical boundaries of the flow as well as other external surfaces, (b) decomposing the polar cylindrical components of the velocity, boundary surface force, and single-layer potential in complex Fourier series, and (c) collecting same-order Fourier coefficients to obtain a system of one-dimensional Fredholm integral equations of the first kind for the coefficients of the surface force over the traces of the natural boundaries of the flow in an azimuthal plane. In the particular case where the polar cylindrical components of the boundary velocity exhibit a first harmonic dependence on the azimuthal angle, we obtain a reduced system of three real integral equations. A numerical method of solution that is based on a standard boundary element-collocation procedure is developed and tested. For channel flow, the effect of domain truncation on the nature of the far flow is investigated with reference to plane Hagen–Poiseuille flow past a cylindrical post. Numerical results are presented for the force and torque exerted on a family of oblate spheroids located above a single plane wall or within a parallel-sided channel. The effect of particle shape on the structure of the flow is illustrated, and some novel features of the motion are discussed. The numerical computations reveal the range of accuracy of previous asymptotic solutions for small or tightly fitting spherical particles.
Some spectral properties of an integral operator in potential theory
