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  • Open Access

Channel flow around an obstacle in a two-dimensional soft particle system

Bahaa Mazloum, Alexandre Stepanetz, Benjamin Dollet, and Misaki Ozawa*

  • *Contact author: misaki.ozawa@univ-grenoble-alpes.fr
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APS Open Sci. 1, 000087 – Published 7 August, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/qy1b-d59q

Abstract

We numerically study confined channel flow around an obstacle using a two-dimensional soft-particle model, inspired by experiments performed in the same geometry. We systematically vary the polydispersity, the external driving force, and the packing fraction of the system. Our simulations capture a broad range of plastic flow phenomenologies, from highly directional, slidinglike motion characteristic of crystalline materials to more isotropic and localized rearrangements typical of amorphous systems. We identify a threshold value of polydispersity that marks the crossover between crystallinelike and amorphouslike plasticity. In addition, we observe the existence of a critical external force, associated with the phenomenon of yield drag, above which the system reaches steady flow and below which it remains arrested. We determine a critical packing fraction above which such yield-drag behavior emerges. Our results provide a comprehensive framework for understanding the interplay between disorder, driving, and the presence of an obstacle in channel flows.

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APS Open Sci. 1, 000087– Published 7 August, 2026
Vol. 1
  • Received 24 March 2026
  • Revised 26 June 2026
  • Accepted 14 July 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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