Force and torque on a cylinder rotating in a narrow gap at low Reynolds number: Scaling and lubrication analyses

The hydrodynamic forces and torques on a rotating cylinder in a narrow channel are investigated in this paper using lubrication analysis and scaling analysis. To explore the effect of the shape of the gap, three different geometries are considered. The force and torque expressions from lubrication analysis agree well with numerical solutions when the gap between cylinder and wall is small. The solutions from scaling analysis can be applied over a broader range, but only if the scaling coefficients are properly deduced from numerical solution or lubrication analysis. Self-similarity in the solutions is discussed as well. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.