A description of particle and cloud of particles motion in flow of carrying liquid is important for understanding a number of natural processes, particularly for sediment transport in rivers and channels, reservoirs and estuaries or in the processes of water- and wind erosion. Based on the experience from field observations and experimental investigations, three basic modes of sediment particle movement are distinguishes – sliding or rolling, saltation, and suspension. Particle saltation dominates in sediment transport in rivers and channels with a rough bed, most of the sediment grains are transported by the saltation.
The major research work is on mathematical modelling and numerical simulation of the motion of an individual particle and of a cloud of particles in open- or close conduits under different flow conditions, a development of mathematical and numerical models of particle movement and their calibration and verification using results of sophisticated experiments. For the numerical simulation, the particle saltation movement should be divided to two phases – the suspension-like motion in carrier liquid and the particle interaction with the channel bed.
Research activities
- 2D and 3D models of saltation motion of solid particles in open channels with rough bed.
- Modelling of movable particulate bed and interaction of conveyed particles with the bed. Effect of bed structure and particle size.
- Hydrodynamic forces acting on particle moving in fluid (drag force, Magnus force, Safman force, Basset history force). Effect of translational and rotational particle movement on drag and Magnus coefficients. Effect of Stokes force on restitution coefficient of particle.
- Simulation of saltation movement of solid particles in turbulent flow using Lattice Boltzman Method (LBM).
- Sedimentation of inorganic particles and suspensions.