Fiber Orientation Distributions in a Suspension Flow through a Parallel Plate Channel Containing a Cylinder

Lattice Boltzmann method is used to simulate numerically the fiber suspension flow through a parallel plate channel containing a cylinder in the dilute and concentrated regimes (nL2 = 0.125 and 2.0, here n and L are the number density and the length of fiber, respectively). The numerical results of fiber orientation distribution based on a statistical scheme are obtained and consistent qualitatively with the experimental ones. The results showed that the cylinder in the channel results in a change in the fiber orientation distribution downstream of the cylinder along the flow and transverse directions. The influences of the cylinder on the fiber orientation distribution are more significant for the concentrated suspensions than the dilute ones. The initial fiber orientations at inlet have significant and small effects on the fiber orientation distribution upstream and downstream of the cylinder, respectively.