Abstract
The effects of particle shape on settling behavior of monodisperse sand particles in an initially quiescent water environment have been studied by a two-dimensional numerical experiment. The present study is an extension of Yokojima et al. (J. JSCE A2 71(2) I_719 2015), where the influence of aspect ratio of elliptic particle was examined closely, and aims to obtain a more generalized conclusion by introducing rectangular particles. While a singular behavior happens in the early stage of the sedimentation process depending on the initial orientation of particles, it does not detract from the applicability of the spherical assumption of particle shape greatly. In terms of the settling behavior in the terminal stage, the influence of particle shape and aspect ratio is found to be reduced by the presence of surrounding particles. The circular particle case, however, still presents significant differences in the averaged terminal settling velocity compared with other particles. The present study calls for caution in the spherical assumption and encourages a deeper understanding the effects of particle shape.
