Two-Way Coupling Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) Approach to Inertial Focusing Dynamics under Dean Flow Patterns in Asymmetric Serpentines

The dynamics of a spherical particle in an asymmetric serpentine is studied by finite element method (FEM) simulations in a physically unconstrained system. The two-way coupled time dependent solutions illustrate the path of the particle along a curve where a secondary flow (Dean flow) has developed. The simulated conditions were adjusted to match those of an experiment for which particles were focused under inertial focusing conditions in a microfluidic device. The obtained rotational modes inferred the influence of the local flow around the particle. We propose a new approach to find the decoupled secondary flow contribution employing a quasi-Stokes flow.