Collective sedimentation of symmetric nonspherical particles in Stokes flow
Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 054305 – Published 19 May, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/441b-p5mv
Abstract
We study the collective sedimentation of cube-shaped particles in the Stokes regime using direct numerical simulations based on the smooth profile method. The particles, constructed as rigid assemblies of spherical beads, settle in a Newtonian fluid at Reynolds number over volume fractions . Although orientation-dependent hydrodynamic forces at the single-particle level, the suspension recovers the classical Stokesian scaling laws traditionally associated with spherical particles. The radial distribution function exhibits a single dominant peak that grows monotonically with , indicating isotropic microstructural organization and progressive clustering. Orientation statistics show random alignment in dilute suspensions and a transition toward preferential alignment at with respect to gravity as concentration increases. The mean settling velocity follows the Richardson-Zaki law with exponent , velocity fluctuations scale as , and relaxation timescale as . Self-diffusion coefficients increase weakly with volume fraction and asymptotically approach the scaling characteristic of spherical suspensions. These results demonstrate that geometric symmetry, rather than sphericity alone, governs the emergence of sphere-like collective sedimentation behavior in nonspherical particle suspensions under creeping-flow conditions.