Transport of a driven spheroid in a uniform flow at low Reynolds numbers

This work examines the orientation profile of a rigid body suspended in a time-dependent uniform flow at low Reynolds numbers under the action of an external periodic field. We derive the unsteady equations governing the transport by considering the influence of both fluid and particle inertia. We observe the significance of the acceleration reaction term, which appeared in the governing equation, as the calculated value increases as the aspect ratio increases. In contrast, the lift force exerted by the flow on the spheroid is insignificant since it is negligibly small. We provide phase diagrams of the solutions with functional relations with the particle’s geometry, amplitude and phase of the external field, and Reynolds numbers. The steady-state solutions are orbits controlled by the parameters. In this analysis, we observe a phase shift in position and velocity, a drift of orbits, and dependence of orientation movement on the aspect ratio and amplitude of the external field and the Reynolds number.