The Basset force, named after the British mathematician Augustus Basset, is a term used in fluid dynamics to describe the effect of history or memory on the drag force experienced by a particle moving through a fluid.
When a particle moves through a fluid, it creates a disturbance in the fluid that propagates away from the particle. This disturbance is known as a wake. The wake affects the drag force on the particle, which is the force that opposes its motion through the fluid.
The Basset force takes into account the history of the particle’s motion and the associated wakes that it has created. Specifically, it is the integral over time of the product of the acceleration of the particle and a time-dependent kernel function. The kernel function represents the effect of the wake on the drag force and depends on the history of the particle’s motion.
The Basset force is important in many applications, such as the motion of particles in turbulent flows, the behavior of sedimenting particles, and the dynamics of bubbles in a liquid. It can also have important practical implications, such as in the design of particulate filters for air or water purification. learn more about Admission Management.
