MOTION OF A SPHERE IN THE PRESENCE OF A PLANE INTERFACE .1. APPROXIMATE SOLUTION BY GENERALIZATION OF THE METHOD OF LORENTZ

The motion of a sphere in the presence of a fluid-fluid interface is studied. First, a solution is derived for a point force near a plane interface. Then the solution is extended to include the higher-order terms which are required to describe the motion of a solid sphere. Singularities of higher orders at the centre of the sphere are obtained by using the method of reflexions. For a fluid–fluid interface with an arbitrary viscosity ratio, the drag force and the hydrodynamic torque are calculated for the special cases of motion of a sphere perpendicular and parallel to the interface. In addition, the rotational motion of a sphere is also investigated. © 1979, Cambridge University Press