Fractal forcing of turbulence by settling particles
Abstract
The settling of particles in a fluid medium can trigger complex collective dynamics, dramatically affecting the distribution of energy across flow scales. In this work we present the first fully-resolved observations of the turbulence induced by large particle structures, also known as cluster-induced-turbulence (CIT), obtained through particle-resolved direct numerical simulations at high volume fractions and density ratios in large domains. We find that particles arrange in macroscopic fractal structures, exciting turbulent fluctuations at scales much larger than the individual constituents. By virtue of their fractal nature, these clusters force the continuous-phase in a multiscale, self-similar way. We further show that these cluster-driven, vertically decorrelated fluctuations at large scales coexist with, but are fundamentally distinct from, the established particle-driven high-wavenumber scaling. Beyond unveiling a different form of clustering in particle-settling, these results highlight a naturally arising, self-assembling path to fractal-generated turbulence.
Related
- Multiscale dynamics of inertial particles in turbulence with and without the effect of gravitational settling
- Thermal behaviour of settling heavy inertial particles in turbulent natural convection
- Orientation and slip statistics of spheroids settling in turbulence
- Turbulence Decay Intensifies Clustering of Bubbles and Particles
- Preferential concentration of cloud droplets: Coupled effects of phase change and gravitational settling
BibTeX
@misc{tandurella2026fractal,
title = {{Fractal forcing of turbulence by settling particles}},
author = {Simone Tandurella and Alessandro Chiarini and Marco Edoardo Rosti},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.26050},
eprint = {2610.26050},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.26050},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Fractal forcing of turbulence by settling particles
AU - Simone Tandurella
AU - Alessandro Chiarini
AU - Marco Edoardo Rosti
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/19
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.26050
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.26050
AB - The settling of particles in a fluid medium can trigger complex collective dynamics, dramatically affecting the distribution of energy across flow scales. In this work we present the first fully-resolved observations of the turbulence induced by large particle structures, also known as cluster-induced-turbulence (CIT), obtained through particle-resolved direct numerical simulations at high volume fractions and density ratios in large domains. We find that particles arrange in macroscopic fractal structures, exciting turbulent fluctuations at scales much larger than the individual constituents. By virtue of their fractal nature, these clusters force the continuous-phase in a multiscale, self-similar way. We further show that these cluster-driven, vertically decorrelated fluctuations at large scales coexist with, but are fundamentally distinct from, the established particle-driven high-wavenumber scaling. Beyond unveiling a different form of clustering in particle-settling, these results highlight a naturally arising, self-assembling path to fractal-generated turbulence.
ER -