Time-reversed flows

Abstract

Under the assumption that the local acceleration and inertial terms are to be neglected in the equation of motion, a comparison is made between the unsteadystate movement of a suspension of particles and the same problem in reversed (or negative) time. The formalized discussion confirms Bretherton's (1962) conclusion that, if in a steady unidirectional shear flow at small Reynolds number a rotationally symmetric particle twice assumes a position with its axis of rotation in the plane perpendicular to the flow, its orbit must be periodic. The reversibility phenomena observed by S. G. Mason (1963) in dilute and concentrated suspensions are explained as well.