Translation of a sphere towards a rigid plane in an Oldroyd-B fluid

We analyze the low-Reynolds-number translation of a sphere towards or away from a rigid plane in an Oldroyd-B fluid under two scenarios: prescribing the sphere's translational velocity, and prescribing the force on the sphere. Leveraging the lubrication approximation and a perturbation expansion in powers of the Deborah number, we develop a comprehensive theoretical analysis that yields analytical approximations for velocity fields, pressures, and forces acting on the sphere. Our framework aids in understanding temporal microstructural changes as the particle-wall gap evolves over time. In particular, we show that alterations in the polymer conformation tensor in response to geometric changes induce additional forces on the sphere. For cases with prescribed velocity, we present a theoretical approach for calculating resistive forces at any order in the Deborah number and utilize a reciprocal theorem to obtain higher-order corrections based on velocity fields in the previous orders. When the sphere translates with a constant velocity, the fluid viscoelasticity decreases the resistive force at the first order. However, at the second-order correction, the direction of the sphere's movement determines whether viscoelasticity increases or decreases the resistive force. For cases with prescribed force, we show that understanding the influence of viscoelasticity on the sphere's translational velocity necessitates a more intricate analysis even at low Deborah numbers. Specifically, we introduce an ansatz for constant force scenarios, and we derive solution forms for general prescribed forces using the method of multiple scales. We find that when a sphere undergoes sedimentation due to its own weight, the fluid viscoelasticity results in a slower settling process, reducing the leading-order sedimentation rate.