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Figure 2

From: Biofilm viscoelasticity and nutrient source location control biofilm growth rate, migration rate, and morphology in shear flow

Figure 2

Comparison of deformation in shear flow between an elastic biofilm (\(E = 50\) Pa) and a viscoelastic biofilm (\(E = 50\) Pa, \(\eta = 5\times 10^4\) Pa.s). (a)–(f) From top to bottom: elastic to viscoelastic; from left to right: \(u_\text {max} = 1, 3, 5\times 10^{-6}\) m/s. Protrusions appear in viscoelastic biofilm at flow rates that are absent in the elastic biofilm. (g) The x-coordinate of center of mass versus time. The x-coordinate of the viscoelastic biofilm continues to increase in time as the dashpots in the Maxwell elements continue to increase in length. The x-coordinate of the elastic biofilm reaches equilibrium when the springs in the Stokes elements reach equilibrium. (h) The y-coordinate of center of mass versus time. Relative to the change in the x-coordinate, the change of the y-coordinate is an order of magnitude smaller, indicating the flow acts primarily to shear the biofilms.

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