A numerical study of the solidification process of a retracting fluid filament

In this study, the retraction and solidification of a fluid filament are studied by a front-tracking method/finite difference scheme. The interface between two phases is handled by connected points (Lagrangian grid), which move on a fixed grid domain (Eulerian grid). The Navier-Stokes and energy equations are solved to simulate the problem. Initially, the fluid filament has a shape as half of a cylindrical capsule contact with a cold flat surface. We consider the effect of the aspect ratio (Ar) on the solidification of the fluid filament. It is found that an increase in the aspect ratio (Ar) in the range of 2 – 14 causes the retraction length to increase. The rate of the solidification of a fluid filament decreases when the Ar ratio increases. The solidification time, the solidification height and the tip angle of the fluid filament under the influence of the aspect ratio are also considered. After complete solidification, a small protrusion on the top of the solidified fluid filament is found.

Filament mechanics in a half-space via regularised Stokeslet segments

We present a generalisation of efficient numerical frameworks for modelling fluid–filament interactions via the discretisation of a recently developed, non-local integral equation formulation to incorporate regularised Stokeslets with half-space boundary conditions, as motivated by the importance of confining geometries in many applications. We proceed to utilise this framework to examine the drag on slender inextensible filaments moving near a boundary, firstly with a relatively simple example, evaluating the accuracy of resistive force theories near boundaries using regularised Stokeslet segments. This highlights that resistive force theories do not accurately quantify filament dynamics in a range of circumstances, even with analytical corrections for the boundary. However, there is the notable and important exception of movement in a plane parallel to the boundary, where accuracy is maintained. In particular, this justifies the judicious use of resistive force theories in examining the mechanics of filaments and monoflagellate microswimmers with planar flagellar patterns moving parallel to boundaries. We proceed to apply the numerical framework developed here to consider how filament elastohydrodynamics can impact drag near a boundary, analysing in detail the complex responses of a passive cantilevered filament to an oscillatory flow. In particular, we document the emergence of an asymmetric periodic beating in passive filaments in particular parameter regimes, which are remarkably similar to the power and reverse strokes exhibited by motile$9+2$cilia. Furthermore, these changes in the morphology of the filament beating, arising from the fluid–structure interactions, also induce a significant increase in the hydrodynamic drag of the filament.

Faraday waves on a cylindrical fluid filament – generalised equation and simulations

We perform linear stability analysis of an interface separating two immiscible, inviscid, quiescent fluids subject to a time-periodic body force. In a generalised, orthogonal coordinate system, the time-dependent amplitude of interfacial perturbations, in the form of standing waves, is shown to be governed by a generalised Mathieu equation. For zero forcing, the Mathieu equation reduces to a (generalised) simple harmonic oscillator equation. The generalised Mathieu equation is shown to govern Faraday waves on four time-periodic base states. We use this equation to demonstrate that Faraday waves and instabilities can arise on an axially unbounded, cylindrical capillary fluid filament subject to radial, time-periodic body force. The stability chart for solutions to the Mathieu equation is obtained through numerical Floquet analysis. For small values of perturbation and forcing amplitude, results obtained from direct numerical simulations (DNS) of the incompressible Euler equation (with surface tension) show very good agreement with theoretical predictions. Linear theory predicts that unstable Rayleigh–Plateau modes can be stabilised through forcing. This prediction is borne out by DNS results at early times. Nonlinearity produces higher wavenumbers, some of which can be linearly unstable due to forcing and thus eventually destabilise the filament. We study axisymmetric as well as three-dimensional perturbations through DNS. For large forcing amplitude, localised sheet-like structures emanate from the filament, suffering subsequent fragmentation and breakup. Systematic parametric studies are conducted in a non-dimensional space of five parameters and comparison with linear theory is provided in each case. Our generalised analysis provides a framework for understanding free and (parametrically) forced capillary oscillations on quiescent base states of varying geometrical configurations.

Immersed boundary method combined with proper generalized decomposition for simulation of a flexible filament in a viscous incompressible flow

In this paper, a combination of the Proper Generalized Decomposition (PGD) with the Immersed Boundary method (IBM) for solving fluid-filament interaction problem is proposed. In this combination, a forcing term constructed by the IBM is introduced to Navier-Stokes equations to handle the influence of the filament on the fluid flow. The PGD is applied to solve the Poission's equation to find the fluid pressure distribution for each time step. The numerical results are compared with those by previous publications to illustrate the robustness and effectiveness of the proposed method.

The effect of surfactant on the stability of a fluid filament embedded in a viscous fluid

The effect of surfactant on the breakup of a viscous filament, initially at rest, surrounded by another viscous fluid is studied using linear stability analysis. The role of the surfactant is characterized by the elasticity number – a high elasticity number implies that surfactant is important. As expected, the surfactant slows the growth rate of disturbances. The influence of surfactant on the dominant wavenumber is less trivial. In the Stokes regime, the dominant wavenumber for most viscosity ratios increases with the elasticity number; for filament to matrix viscosity ratios ranging from about 0.03 to 0.4, the dominant wavenumber decreases when the elasticity number increases. Interestingly, a surfactant does not affect the stability of a filament when the surface tension (or Reynolds) number is very large.