Volumetric study of particle-wake interactions based on free falling finite particles

Research on free falling particles has predominantly focused on wake dynamics and vortex shedding of individual particles in quiescent flow. However, when these particles fall collectively, the wakes of neighboring particles alter the flow fields. To investigate how the settling and wake dynamics of particles are affected by the wakes of other settling particles, we conducted volumetric experiments using the Shake-The-Box technique. Negatively buoyant 12 mm particles of four different geometries (sphere, flat cuboid, circular, and square cylinders) were first released individually into quiescent water. Subsequently, the particles were released individually into the bulk wakes of 20 monodisperse particles. Using four high-speed cameras and LEDs, we simultaneously captured both 3D particle and fluid motions in the terminal velocity regime. The imaging domain measured 90 mm × 90 mm × 40 mm. Our results show that all trailing particles settling through the bulk wakes gain additional downward momentum from the turbulent wakes, causing them to fall faster than in quiescent flow. However, when the induced velocity of the preceding wakes is subtracted, the relative settling velocity was found to be essentially the same as the particle falling in quiescent fluid. Upstream of the particle, the vortices in the bulk wake interact with the developing shear layer along the particle. The wake downstream of the trailing particle also appears more chaotic than that in quiescent flow.