Experimental and modeling study of global circulation by bent rod precession in low Reynolds number flows

The precessing motion of a bent rod over a plane in viscous dominated regimes can generate global fluid flow structures in the form of recirculating tori. Such motion can play an important role in the development of multicellular organisms, where primary cilia are the main agent for the embryonic forms of nutrient circulation. Results from an experimental investigation using PIV techniques to analyze the flow field will be presented and compared with a first principle theory based on slender body approximations. While good qualitative agreement can be achieved with Blake images enforcing the no-slip condition at the plane, quantitative agreement requires a more sophisticated approach, which will be outlined.