On the influence of the Basset history force on the motion of a particle through a fluid

A parameter study on the development of the Basset integral appearing in the equation of motion of a particle moving through a fluid is presented. The particle motion is investigated numerically for the flow across an aerodynamic shock. It is found that, for this type of flow, the Basset history force acting upon the particle described by the Basset integral can be many times larger than the viscous drag in the immediate shock region. It is demonstrated how this force affects the particle motion across the shock for different particles. Nevertheless, the results obtained show that it is justified to neglect the Basset integral for the theoretical description of the motion of the types of particles commonly used in flow measurement tracer techniques for the type of flow considered here.