ABSTRACT: The drag coefficient of a gas bubble in steady motion in an unbounded
axisymmetric shear flow is obtained numerically for different values of the Reynolds and
Weber numbers and intensities of shear. The bubble is allowed to deform in response to the
flow and zero-tangential-stress boundary conditions are imposed on its surface. The
numerical method used is a modification of that of Ryskin and Leal [J. Fluid Mech. 148,
1, (1983)]. The results show that even small amounts of shear have a strong effect on
drag. The drag coefficient decreases for a free-stream velocity decaying away from the
axis, and increases in the opposite case.
Phys. Fluids 6, 3186-3188, 1994
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