Tuning Cross-stream Lift in Viscoelastic Shear: Distinct Hydrodynamic Signatures of Force-bearing and Force-free Mechanisms

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Chowdhury, Soumyodeep, Tiwari, Kushagra, Dhakar, Jitendra, Choudhary, Akash
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2026
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author Chowdhury, Soumyodeep
Tiwari, Kushagra
Dhakar, Jitendra
Choudhary, Akash
author_facet Chowdhury, Soumyodeep
Tiwari, Kushagra
Dhakar, Jitendra
Choudhary, Akash
contents We investigate the lift and drag corrections acting on a particle suspended in a planar viscoelastic shear flow when the particle is tuned to translate relative to the flow by an external mechanism. A cross-stream lift force arises when particle is driven in streamwise direction; we find that the nature of the driving mechanism dictates the lift direction: force-bearing mechanisms (such as gravity acting on non-neutrally buoyant particles) and force-free mechanisms (such as electrophoresis) generate lift forces of opposite sign. By explicitly deriving the first-order fields and stresses, we demonstrate that this reversal originates from distinct hydrodynamic disturbances induced by each mechanism, which produce qualitatively different polymeric stress distributions. This analytical result is further verified through an independent derivation using the reciprocal theorem. Further, we find that driving the particle in the gradient direction gives rise to a streamwise drag correction that is of the same sign for both mechanisms. Beyond microfluidic particle manipulation, these results have broader implications for understanding the locomotion of microswimmers in viscoelastic shear flows, where distinct force-free propulsion mechanisms are expected to generate unique force and torque modifications.
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id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_07906
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Tuning Cross-stream Lift in Viscoelastic Shear: Distinct Hydrodynamic Signatures of Force-bearing and Force-free Mechanisms
Chowdhury, Soumyodeep
Tiwari, Kushagra
Dhakar, Jitendra
Choudhary, Akash
Fluid Dynamics
We investigate the lift and drag corrections acting on a particle suspended in a planar viscoelastic shear flow when the particle is tuned to translate relative to the flow by an external mechanism. A cross-stream lift force arises when particle is driven in streamwise direction; we find that the nature of the driving mechanism dictates the lift direction: force-bearing mechanisms (such as gravity acting on non-neutrally buoyant particles) and force-free mechanisms (such as electrophoresis) generate lift forces of opposite sign. By explicitly deriving the first-order fields and stresses, we demonstrate that this reversal originates from distinct hydrodynamic disturbances induced by each mechanism, which produce qualitatively different polymeric stress distributions. This analytical result is further verified through an independent derivation using the reciprocal theorem. Further, we find that driving the particle in the gradient direction gives rise to a streamwise drag correction that is of the same sign for both mechanisms. Beyond microfluidic particle manipulation, these results have broader implications for understanding the locomotion of microswimmers in viscoelastic shear flows, where distinct force-free propulsion mechanisms are expected to generate unique force and torque modifications.
title Tuning Cross-stream Lift in Viscoelastic Shear: Distinct Hydrodynamic Signatures of Force-bearing and Force-free Mechanisms
topic Fluid Dynamics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.07906