A Brinkman model for elastic fibers

An important class of fluid-structure problems involve the dynamics of ordered arrays of immersed, flexible fibers. While specialized numerical methods have been developed to study fiber-fluid systems, they become infeasible when there are many, rather than a few, fibers present, and do not lend themselves to analytical calculation. In this talk I will introduce a coarse-grained continuum model, based on local-slender body theory for elastic fibers immersed in a viscous Newtonian fluid. We will explore some of the basic properties of these systems subjected to steady and oscillatory shear flows; and then show how qualitatively different phenomenon can emerge in some systems as the fiber density is varied. Finally, we will show how the model can be used to study pumping in beds of actuated cilia.