Authors:
Ting Ye, Nhan Phan-Thien, Boo Cheong Khoo, and Chwee Teck Lim
Summary:
In the present paper, the dynamics of healthy and malaria-infected erythrocytes in the shear flow are investigated using dissipative particle dynamics (DPD), a particle-based method. A discrete model is developed, where the computational domain is discretized into a set of particles to represent the suspending liquid, as well as erythrocytes as suspended deformable particles. The particles on an erythrocyte surface are connected into a triangular network to represent the membrane. The interaction between any two particles is modelled by the DPD method, which conserves both mass and momentum. In order to validate this model, the deformation of a spherical capsule in the shear flow is firstly simulated, and a good agreement is found with previously published works. Then, the dynamics of a healthy biconcave erythrocyte in a shear flow is investigated. The results demonstrate that a healthy erythrocyte undergoes a tank-treading motion at a high capillary number, and a tumbling motion at a low capillary number or at a high viscosity ratio, internal (erythrocyte) to external fluids. Two other types of trembling motions, breathing with tumbling and swinging with tank-treading, are also found at an intermediate capillary number or viscosity ratio. Finally, the dynamics of malaria-infected erythrocyte in a shear flow is studied. At the same shear rate, if the healthy erythrocyte undergoes a tumbling motion, the malaria-infected one will exhibit a tumbling motion only. If the healthy erythrocyte undergoes a trembling motion, the malaria-infected one cannot exhibit tank-treading motion. If the healthy erythrocyte undergoes a tank-treading motion, the malaria-infected one will exhibit one of three dynamic motions: tumbling, trembling or tank-treading motion.
Source:
Journal of Applied Physics; (06/10/14)