Thibaut Métivet | Searcharxiv

arXiv2024

Universal Scaling Laws for a Generic Swimmer Model

We have developed a minimal model of a swimmer without body deformation based on force and torque dipoles which allows accurate 3D Navier-Stokes calculations. Our model can reproduce swimmer propulsion for a large range of Reynolds numbers, and generate wake vortices in the inertial regime, reminiscent of the flow generated by the flapping tails of real fish. We performed a numerical exploration of the model from low to high Reynolds numbers and obtained universal laws using scaling arguments. We collected data from a wide variety of micro-organisms, thereby extending the experimental data presented in (M. Gazzola et al., Nature Physics 10, 758, 2014). Our theoretical scaling laws compare very well with experimental data across the different regimes, from Stokes to turbulent flows. We believe that this model, due to its relatively simple design, will be very useful for obtaining numerical simulations of collective effects within fish schools composed of hundreds of individuals.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2023

Revisiting the role of friction coefficients in granular collapses: confrontation of 3-D non-smooth simulations with experiments

In this paper, transient granular flows are examined both numerically and experimentally. Simulations are performed using the continuous 3D granular model introduced in Daviet & Bertails-Descoubes (2016), which represents the granular medium as an inelastic and dilatable continuum subject to the Drucker-Prager yield criterion in the dense regime. One notable feature of this numerical model is to resolve such a non-smooth rheology without any regularisation. We show that this non-smooth model, which relies on a constant friction coefficient, is able to reproduce with high fidelity various experimental granular collapses over inclined erodible beds, provided the friction coefficient is set to the avalanche angle - and not to the stop angle, as generally done. In order to better characterise the range of validity of the fully plastic rheology in the context of transient frictional flows, we further revisit scaling laws relating the shape of the final collapse deposit to the initial column aspect ratio, and accurately recover established power-law dependences up to aspect ratios in the order of 10. The influence of sidewall friction is then examined through experimental and simulated collapses with varying channel widths. The effective flow thickness is estimated in relation to the channel width, thereby challenging previously held assumptions on its estimation. Finally, we discuss the potential extension of the constant coefficient model with a hysteretic model to refine predictions of early-stage collapse dynamics, illustrating the impact of such phenomenology on transient flows and paving the way to more elaborate analysis.

physics.flu-dyn↗