Nonlinear clogging of a rectangular slit by a spherical soft particle

TL;DR

This study investigates how a soft spherical particle trapped in a rectangular slit causes nonlinear flow behavior, with flow resistance increasing dramatically due to particle deformations, revealing two distinct flow regimes.

Contribution

It uncovers the nonlinear clogging behavior of soft particles in slits and characterizes the transition between flow-dominated and elastic-dominated regimes.

Findings

Flow resistance increases significantly with pressure due to particle deformation.

Two flow regimes are identified: flow-dominated and elastic-dominated.

Deformation focuses pressure and streamlines, affecting flow behavior.

Abstract

The capture of a soft spherical particle by a rectangular slit leads to a non-monotonic pressure-flow rate relation at low Reynolds number. In the presence of the trapped particle the flow-induced deformations focus the streamlines and pressure drop to a small region. This increases the resistance to flow by several orders of magnitude as the driving pressure is increased. As a result two regimes are observed: a flow-dominated regime for small particle deformations, where flow rate increases with pressure, and an elastic-dominated regime in which solid deformations block the flow.