A contact model for normal immersed collisions between a particle and a wall

Abstract The incompressible Navier–Stokes equations are solved numerically to predict the coupled motion of a falling particle and the surrounding fluid as the particle impacts and rebounds from a planar wall. The method is validated by comparing the numerical simulations of a settling sphere with experimental measurements of the sphere trajectory and the accompanying flow field. The normal collision process is then studied for a range of impact Stokes numbers. A contact model of the liquid–solid interaction and elastic effect is developed that incorporates the elasticity of the solids to permit the rebound trajectory to be simulated accurately. The contact model is applied when the particle is sufficiently close to the wall that it becomes difficult to resolve the thin lubrication layer. The model is calibrated with new measurements of the particle trajectories and reproduces the observed coefficient of restitution over a range of impact Stokes numbers from 1 to 1000.