Direct numerical simulations of particle-laden homogeneous isotropic turbulence are performed to investigate interparticle collisions in a wide range of Stokes numbers. Dynamics of the particles are described by Stokes drag including particle-particle interactions via hard-sphere collisions, while fluid turbulence is solved using a pseudospectral method. Particular emphasis is placed on interparticle-collision-based conditional statistics of rotation and dissipation rates of the fluid experienced by heavy particles, which provide essential information on the collision process. We also investigate the collision statistics of collision time interval and angle. Based on a Lamb vortex model for a vortex structure, we claim that collision events occur in the edge region for vortical structures in the intermediate-Stokes-number regime, suggesting that the sling effect enhances collision as well as clustering.

• Received 6 March 2015
• Revised 21 August 2015

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.93.013112