Shape transitions of sedimenting confined droplets and capsules: From oblate to bullet-like geometries
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The transport and deformation of confined droplets and flexible capsules are central to diverse phenomena and applications, from biological flows in microcapillaries to industrial processes in porous media. Inspired by experiments, we perform numerical simulations to investigate their shape dynamics under varying levels of confinement and particle flexibility. A transition from an oblate to a bullet-like shape is observed at a confinement threshold, independent of flexibility, which agrees with our analytical calculations. A fluid–structure interaction analysis reveals two regimes: a pressure-dominated and a viscous-dominated regime. For highly flexible particles, the pressure-dominated regime prevails and the deformation is enhanced. These findings offer new insights into the transport of flexible particles in confined environments, with implications for biomedical applications, filtration technologies, and multiphase fluid mechanics.
Source: Physics of Fluids
DOI: 10.1063/5.0298767
Authors: Danilo P. F. Silva, Rodrigo C. V. Coelho, Ariel Dvir, Noa Zana, Margarida M. Telo da Gama, Naomi Oppenheimer, Nuno A. M. Araújo
Language: English
Subfield: Ocean Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: Lattice Boltzmann modelling of active nematics in heterogeneous activity fields, Sem título, G6368343475, Flow of flexible active matter through complex environments, Centro de Física Teórica e Computacional da Universidade de Lisboa, Centro de Física Teórica e Computacional da Universidade de Lisboa
OpenAlex ID: W7092184017