A numerical technique is presented for the thermal force exerted on a solid particle by a gaseous medium between two flat plates at different temperatures, in the free molecular or transition flow. This is a two-dimensional molecular-dynamics simulation of hard disks in a inhomogeneous thermal environment. All steady-state features exhibited by the compressible hard-disk gas are shown to be consistent with the expected behaviors. Moreover the thermal force experienced by a large solid disk is investigated, and compared to the analytical case of cylinders moving perpendicularly to the constant temperature gradient for an infinite Knudsen number and in an infinite medium. We show precise examples of how this technique can be used simply to investigate more difficult practical problems, in particluar the influence of nonlinear gradients for large applied differences of temperature, of proximity of the walls, and of smaller Knudsen numbers.

• Received 22 February 2000

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.62.6608