A 1D Model For A Closed Rigid Filament In Stokes Flow

We adapt an existing asymptotic method to set up a one-dimensional model for the fall of a closed filament in an in finite fluid in the Stokes regime. Starting from the single-layer integral representation of the fluid velocity around the filament, we get, for a very slender filament, a Fredholm integral equation on the filament centerline. From this equation, we can compute the drag and force acting on the filament and consequently the resistance matrix. The integral equation is discretized with a collocation method. The study of a scalar model problem yields existence and uniqueness results together with an error estimate for the discretization scheme. Then, we compare the resistance matrix of thin ideal knots obtained from the discretization of the present model to a boundary element method; numerical convergence results and a good agreement of both methods validate our model.