Simulations of a sphere sedimenting in a viscoelastic fluid with cross shear flow

► Increasing shear Weissenberg number increases the drag (reduces settling rate). ► The simulation results are in qualitative agreement with the experiments. ► The increase in drag is primarily due to the τ11 component of the viscous stresses. ► Non-linear coupling due to the polymers increases the viscous stresses. ► The mechanism is the break in symmetry of the shear flow by the uniform flow.