A recent theoretical study [Borisov, Kilin, and Mamaev, "The dynamics of vortex rings: Leapfrogging, choreographies and the stability problem," Regular Chaotic Dyn. 18, 33 (2013); Borisov et al., "The dynamics of vortex rings: Leapfrogging in an ideal and viscous fluid," Fluid Dyn. Res. 46, 031415 (2014)] shows that when three coaxial vortex rings travel in the same direction in an incompressible ideal fluid, each of the vortex rings alternately slips through (or leapfrogs) the other two ahead. Here, we use a lattice Boltzmann method to simulate viscous vortex rings with an identical initial circulation, radius, and separation distance with the aim of studying how viscous effect influences the outcomes of the leapfrogging process. For the case of two identical vortex rings, our computation shows that leapfrogging can be achieved only under certain favorable conditions, which depend on Reynolds number, vortex core size, and initial separation distance between the two rings. For the case of three coaxial vortex rings, the result differs from the inviscid model and shows that the second vortex ring always slips through the leading ring first, followed by the third ring slipping through the other two ahead. A simple physical model is proposed to explain the observed behavior. C 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.Vortex rings have been a subject of interest in vortex dynamics because of their frequent appearance in nature and technology. 1-4 Moreover, they can be easily produced experimentally. 5 The study of the interaction of multiple vortex rings has also attracted considerable attention 4-9 because of its relevance to the fundamental understanding of vortex-vortex interaction that occurs in many unsteady flow phenomena such as jets and plumes.Past studies 1-15 have shown that when two identical coaxial vortex rings travel in the same direction, it could lead to a process often referred to as leapfrogging of vortex rings. During this process, the induced velocity of the leading ring causes the rear ring to contract radially and accelerate, and concurrently, the induced velocity of the rear ring causes the leading ring to expand and slow down. The rear ring eventually catches up with the leading ring and slips through it, and the process repeats until they merge into a single ring. Although the leapfrogging of two vortex rings has been extensively investigated experimentally, numerically, and theoretically for many years (see an excellent review by Meleshko 6 ), the case involving more than two vortex rings has received little attention. In a recent theoretical study based on topological approach and concept of a bifurcation, complex leapfrogging of three inviscid vortex rings was reported for the first time. 16 The result reveals that each of the vortex rings alternately slips through the other two rings ahead. They also showed the similar leapfrogging of three viscous vortex rings with the same initial circulation, different radii, and different separation distances by solving the axisymmetric Navier-Stokes equations. 17 The...