Abstract
This paper describes the behavior of isolated neutrally buoyant particles and particle groupings flowing through a thin rectangular channel of high aspect ratio (Hele-Shaw flow). The most significant finding is the tendency of two or more particles travelling within a critical distance from each other to interact, moving toward each other and acquiring characteristic equilibrium configurations. This phenomenon helps explain previous observations of the behavior of low concentration suspensions of neutrally buoyant spherical particles flowing in the laminar inertial range through the same type of channel.
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