A deformable plate interacting with a non-Newtonian fluid in three dimensions

Abstract

We consider a deformable plate interacting with a non-Newtonian fluid flow in three dimensions as a simple model problem for fluid-structure-interaction phenomena in life sciences (e.g., red blood cell interacting with blood flow). A power-law function is used for the constitutive equation of the non-Newtonian fluid. The lattice Boltzmann equation (the D3Q19 model) is used for modeling the fluid flow. The immersed boundary (IB) method is used for modeling the flexible plate and handling the fluid-plate interaction. The plate drag and its scaling are studied; the influences of three dimensionless parameters (power-law exponent, bending modulus, and generalized Reynolds number) are investigated.