Paper 3, Section II, C

Fluid Dynamics II
Part II, 2012

For two Stokes flows u(1)(x)\mathbf{u}^{(1)}(\mathbf{x}) and u(2)(x)\mathbf{u}^{(2)}(\mathbf{x}) inside the same volume VV with different boundary conditions on its boundary SS, prove the reciprocal theorem

Sσij(1)njui(2)dS=Sσij(2)njui(1)dS\int_{S} \sigma_{i j}^{(1)} n_{j} u_{i}^{(2)} d S=\int_{S} \sigma_{i j}^{(2)} n_{j} u_{i}^{(1)} d S

where σ(1)\sigma^{(1)} and σ(2)\sigma^{(2)} are the stress fields associated with the flows.

When a rigid sphere of radius aa translates with velocity U\mathbf{U} through unbounded fluid at rest at infinity, it may be shown that the traction per unit area, σn\boldsymbol{\sigma} \cdot \mathbf{n}, exerted by the sphere on the fluid has the uniform value 3μU/2a3 \mu \mathbf{U} / 2 a over the sphere surface. Find the drag on the sphere.

Suppose that the same sphere is now free of external forces and is placed with its centre at the origin in an unbounded Stokes flow given in the absence of the sphere as u(x)\mathbf{u}^{*}(\mathbf{x}). By applying the reciprocal theorem to the perturbation to the flow generated by the presence of the sphere, and assuming this tends to zero sufficiently rapidly at infinity, show that the instantaneous velocity of the centre of the sphere is

14πa2u(x)dS\frac{1}{4 \pi a^{2}} \int \mathbf{u}^{*}(\mathbf{x}) d S

where the integral is taken over the sphere of radius aa.