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Stability analysis on the angular dynamics of a spheroid in simple shear flow: influence of slip-induced fluid-inertial torque

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 October 2025

Zhiwen Cui Open the ORCID record for Zhiwen Cui [Opens in a new window] ,
Xinyu Jiang Open the ORCID record for Xinyu Jiang [Opens in a new window] ,
Jingran Qiu Open the ORCID record for Jingran Qiu [Opens in a new window]  and
Lihao Zhao Open the ORCID record for Lihao Zhao [Opens in a new window]
Zhiwen Cui
Affiliation:
College of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, PR China State Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
Xinyu Jiang
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China Department of Environment, Land and Infrastructure Engineering (DIATI), Politecnico di Torino, Torino 10129, Italy
Jingran Qiu
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 41296, Sweden
Lihao Zhao*
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
*
Corresponding author: Lihao Zhao, zhaolihao@tsinghua.edu.cn
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Abstract

We investigate the angular dynamics of a single spheroidal particle with large particle-to-fluid density ratio in simple shear flows, focusing on the influence of the fluid-inertial torque induced by slip velocity. A linear stability analysis is performed to examine how the fluid-inertial torque, viscous shear torque and particle inertia affect the various stable rotation modes, including logrolling, tumbling and aligning modes. As particle inertia increases, bistable or tristable rotation modes emerge depending on initial conditions. For prolate spheroids, three distinct stable-mode regimes are identified, i.e. logrolling, tumbling and tumbling–logrolling (TL). The presence of these modes depends on particle shape and inertia. For oblate spheroids, when the Stokes number is small, we observe monostable modes (logrolling, tumbling and aligning) and bistable modes (TL, aligning–logrolling) varying with different factors. As Stokes number increases, the tristable mode (aligning–tumbling–logrolling) of oblate spheroids appears. These results of the stability analysis further highlight the intricate and significant effect of fluid-inertial torque compared with the results in the absence of fluid-inertial torque. When we apply fluid-inertial torque to the point-particle model, we reproduce the stable rotation modes observed in particle-resolved simulations, which validates the present stability analysis.

JFM classification

Multiphase and Particle-laden Flows: Multiphase and Particle-laden Flows

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JFM Papers
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Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 1021 , 25 October 2025 , A1
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© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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