Steady Navier–Stokes Equations in Planar Domains with Obstacle and Explicit Bounds for Unique Solvability

Fluid flows around an obstacle generate vortices which, in turn, generate forces on the obstacle. This phenomenon is studied for planar viscous flows governed by the stationary Navier–Stokes equations with inhomogeneous Dirichlet boundary data in a (virtual) square containing an obstacle. In a symmetric framework the appearance of forces is strictly related to the multiplicity of solutions. Precise bounds on the data ensuring uniqueness are then sought and several functional inequalities (concerning relative capacity, Sobolev embedding, solenoidal extensions) are analyzed in detail: explicit bounds are obtained for constant boundary data. The case of “almost symmetric” frameworks is also considered. A universal threshold on the Reynolds number ensuring that the flow generates no lift is obtained regardless of the shape and the nature of the obstacle. Based on the asymmetry/multiplicity principle, the performance of different obstacle shapes is then compared numerically. Finally, connections of the results with elasticity and mechanics are emphasized.