Work

A monolithic lattice Boltzmann–fictitious domain method for particle sedimentation

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: A monolithic fictitious domain method is introduced within the Lattice Boltzmann (LBM) framework to model fluid–structure interactions involving rigid bodies, with application to particle sedimentation. The proposed approach unifies the fluid and solid domains within a single set of evolution equations. Rigid-body motion is enforced by modifying the collision operator inside the solid region: a source term acting on the second-order moment of the distribution function drives the strain-rate tensor toward zero, so that the rigid velocity emerges directly from the LBM dynamics without prescribing a target velocity or invoking a separate solid solver. This formulation eliminates the need for force computations, thereby extending the fictitious domain concept to the LBM in a truly monolithic fashion. The method preserves the inherent simplicity and locality of the LBM algorithm and is naturally well-suited for large-scale parallel computations. Numerical experiments demonstrate that the approach accurately reproduces rigid-body motion and complex hydrodynamic interactions, from simple sedimentation cases to dense suspensions involving a large number of interacting particles.

Source: Results in Engineering

DOI: 10.1016/j.rineng.2026.110942

Authors: Tristan Millet, Erwan Liberge

Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Laboratoire des Sciences de l'Ingénieur pour l'Environnement, La Rochelle Université

Language: English

Topic: Lattice Boltzmann Simulation Studies

Subfield: Computational Mechanics

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,940

Funder: Laboratoire des Sciences de l’Ingénieur pour l’Environnement