Stokes flow through periodic arrays of spheres

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Abstract
We treat the problem of slow flow through a periodic array of spheres. Our interest is in the drag force exerted on the array, and hence the permeability of such arrays. It is shown to be convenient to formulate the problem as a set of two-dimensional integral equations for the unknown surface stress vector, thus lowering the dimension of the problem. This set is solved numerically to obtain the drag as a function of particle concentration and packing characteristics. Results are given over the full concentration range for simple cubic, body-centred cubic and face-centred cubic arrays and these agree well with previous limited experimental, asymptotic and numerical results.