Free-space and near-wall dynamics of a flexible sheet sedimenting in Stokes flow

We present a numerical study of a thin elastic sheet with small extensibility sedimenting in a viscous fluid in free space or near a wall. The interplay between gravity and the elastic response of sheets gives rise to complex deformation and reorientation dynamics. Near a vertical wall, sheets exhibit asymmetric conformations that cause the sheet to drift toward or away from the wall. Near an inclined wall, sheets show qualitatively different dynamics when the wall angle is large: they either deposit on or slide along the wall with a fixed wall-normal distance.