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A novel interface‐tracking method based on Lagrangian particles for deformation analysis of a red blood cell in a capillary
Author(s) -
Li Hua,
Ye Ting,
Lam K. Y.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
international journal for numerical methods in fluids
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.938
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1097-0363
pISSN - 0271-2091
DOI - 10.1002/fld.2624
Subject(s) - tracking (education) , mechanics , capillary action , deformation (meteorology) , level set method , hagen–poiseuille equation , binary number , particle (ecology) , lagrangian , red blood cell , interface (matter) , physics , geometry , materials science , capillary number , computer science , flow (mathematics) , mathematics , mathematical analysis , chemistry , artificial intelligence , geology , thermodynamics , composite material , pedagogy , oceanography , arithmetic , segmentation , psychology , biochemistry , image segmentation
SUMMARY A novel efficient interface‐tracking method is developed to gain an insight into the interface in a multiphase or multifluid system, called the modified particle binary level set (MPBLS) method, in which the binary level set function is defined to distinguish the different phases or fluids and further modified by Lagrangian particles scattered along the interface for achieving higher accuracy. The validation of the MPBLS method is carried out first by simulating the free motion of a red blood cell (RBC) in the rotating, shear and Poiseuille flows, respectively. Subsequently, further validations are performed by comparing with the experimental and numerical results published previously. As one of important applications, the MPBLS method is employed to investigate the deformation behaviors of RBCs with different shapes in a capillary. The simulations show that the healthy RBC gradually changes the geometric shape from a biconcave to a steady parachute shape. It is thus guaranteed that the RBC successfully traverses through the smaller capillaries compared with undeformed RBC. However, the unhealthy RBC with the circular or elliptical shape has different deformation behaviors, in which the steady parachute shape is much less concave at the rear and more convex in the front. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.