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We numerically study confined channel flow around an obstacle using a two-dimensional soft-particle model, inspired by experiments performed in the same geometry. We systematically vary the polydispersity, the external driving force, and the packing fraction of the system. Our simulations capture a broad range of plastic flow phenomenologies, from highly directional, slidinglike motion characteristic of crystalline materials to more isotropic and localized rearrangements typical of amorphous systems. We identify a threshold value of polydispersity that marks the crossover between crystallinelike and amorphouslike plasticity. In addition, we observe the existence of a critical external force, associated with the phenomenon of yield drag, above which the system reaches steady flow and below which it remains arrested. We determine a critical packing fraction above which such yield-drag behavior emerges. Our results provide a comprehensive framework for understanding the interplay between disorder, driving, and the presence of an obstacle in channel flows.
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Anonymous et al. (2026) studied this question.