Experimental study of the behavior of a valveless impedance pump

When a fluid-filled flexible tube is connected to tubing of different impedance, a net flow in either direction can be induced by periodically pinching the flexible section asymmetrically from the ends. We have experimentally demonstrated a variety of conditions under which pumping occurs; including changes in actuator position, size and pinching frequency, transmural pressure, systemic resistance and materials. Data collected includes dynamic pressure and flow-rate measurements at the inlet and outlet of the pump and ultrasound imaging of the tube walls. The net flow rate is highly sensitive to pinching frequency. The pump does not require a closed loop and can sustain a pressure head. We have also shown that a flexible, yet inelastic material is a sufficient condition for impedance-driven flow. A micro-scaled version of the pump was simultaneously tested demonstrating the feasibility of a miniature design.

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Waves in an elastic tube filled with a heterogeneous fluid of variable viscosity

By treating the artery as a prestressed thin elastic tube and the blood as an incompressible heterogeneous fluid with variable viscosity, we studied the propagation of weakly non-linear waves in such a composite medium through the use of reductive perturbation method. By assuming a variable density and a variable viscosity for blood in the radial direction we obtained the perturbed Korteweg-deVries equation as the evolution equation when the viscosity is of order of ε^3/2. We observed that the perturbed character is the combined result of the viscosity and the heterogeneity of the blood. A progressive wave type of solution is presented for the evolution equation and the result is discussed. The numerical results indicate that for a certain value of the density parameter sigma, the wave equation loses its dispersive character and the evolution equation degenerates. It is further shown that, for the perturbed KdV equation both the amplitude and the wave speed decay in the time parameter τ.     

Forced motion of an elastic filament through a narrow tube

A polymer filament consisting of many similar molecules linked in a one-dimensional array is very flexible. As a result, shapes with a relatively large curvature can be accommodated elastically. When loosely confined in a thermal environment, such a flexible strand may become tangled owing to its flexibility. When confined within a narrowtube over its full length, a flexible molecule may behave quite differently. Here, we consider the qualitative nature of deformation of an individual filament when confined within a tube. Commonly the tube is formed within the cluster by a large number of surrounding filaments of the same type.     

Weakly non-linear waves in a tapered elastic tube filled with an inviscid fluid

In the present work, treating the artery as a tapered, thin walled, long and circularly conical prestressed elastic tube and using the longwave approximation, we have studied the propagation of weakly non-linear waves in such a fluid-filled elastic tube by employing the reductive perturbation method. By considering the blood as an incompressible inviscid fluid, the evolution equation is obtained as the Korteweg-de Vries equation with a variable coefficient. It is shown that this type of equation admits a solitary wave-type solution with variable wave speed. It is observed that, the wave speed decreases with distance for positive tapering while it increases for negative tapering. It is further observed that, the progressive wave profile for expanding tubes (a>0) becomes more steepened whereas for narrowing tubes (a<0) it becomes more flattened.     

Wave propagation in an elastic tube: a numerical study

In this paper, a fluid–wall interaction model, called the elastic tube model, is introduced to investigate wave propagation in an elastic tube and the effects of different parameters. The unsteady flow was assumed to be laminar, Newtonian and incompressible, and the vessel wall to be linear-elastic, isotropic and incompressible. A fluid–wall interaction scheme is constructed using a finite element method. The results demonstrate that the elastic tube plays an important role in wave propagation. It is shown that there is a time delay between the velocity waveforms at two different locations and that the peak velocity increases while the low velocity decreases in the elastic tube model, contrary to the rigid tube model where velocity waveforms overlap each other. Compared with the elastic tube model, the increase of the wall thickness makes wave propagation faster and the time delay cannot be observed clearly, however, the velocity amplitude is reduced slightly due to the decrease of the internal radius. The fluid–wall interaction model simulates wave propagation successfully and can be extended to study other mechanical properties considering complicated geometrical and material factors.     

Swelling of an internally pressurized nonlinearly elastic tube with fiber reinforcing

We study the effect of swelling on the mechanical response of fiber reinforced tubes within the context of finite elastic deformation. The fibers themselves do not swell, setting up a competition between the matrix, for which swelling tends to open the tube, and the fibers, for which swelling tends to constrict the tube. Balancing these tendencies in the constitutive response can lead to an internal channel opening that remains relatively constant over a wide range of swelling. Further, the hoop stress on the inner wall in such a situation may be compressive, rather than tensile. Both effects may be advantageous in certain settings, including biological organ systems.     

Non-linear waves in a viscous fluid contained in an elastic tube with variable cross-section

In the present work, treating the large arteries as a thin-walled, long and circularly cylindrical, prestressed elastic tube with variable cross-section and using the reductive perturbation method, we have studied the amplitude modulation of non-linear waves in such a fluid-filled elastic tube. By considering the blood as an incompressible viscous fluid, the evolution equation is obtained as the dissipative non-linear Schrödinger equation with variable coefficients. It is shown that this type of equations admit a solitary wave solution with a variable wave speed. It is observed that, the wave speed increases with distance for narrowing tubes while it decreases for expanding tubes.     

Some axisymmetric problems for an elastic inhomogeneous thick-walled tube

An equilibrium differential equation for an axisymmetric problem is reduced to an integrable form under the assumption that the shear modulus is continuously differentiable and Poisson’s ratio is constant. A procedure of successive approximations is proposed for the case of a compressible material, and the Lamé problem is solved exactly for the case of an incompressible material. A piecewise continuous variation of the Lamé parameter as a function of radius is considered. Several examples of determining the stress-tensor components are given for various cases of inhomogeneity.     

Nonlinear axisymmetric deformations of an elastic tube under external pressure

The problem of the finite axisymmetric deformation of a thick-walled circular cylindrical elastic tube subject to pressure on its external lateral boundaries and zero displacement on its ends is formulated for an incompressible isotropic neo-Hookean material. The formulation is fully nonlinear and can accommodate large strains and large displacements. The governing system of nonlinear partial differential equations is derived and then solved numerically using the C++ based object-oriented finite element library Libmesh. The weighted residual-Galerkin method and the Newton-Krylov nonlinear solver are adopted for solving the governing equations. Since the nonlinear problem is highly sensitive to small changes in the numerical scheme, convergence was obtained only when the analytical Jacobian matrix was used. A Lagrangian mesh is used to discretize the governing partial differential equations. Results are presented for different parameters, such as wall thickness and aspect ratio, and comparison is made with the corresponding linear elasticity formulation of the problem, the results of which agree with those of the nonlinear formulation only for small external pressure. Not surprisingly, the nonlinear results depart significantly from the linear ones for larger values of the pressure and when the strains in the tube wall become large. Typical nonlinear characteristics exhibited are the “corner bulging” of short tubes, and multiple modes of deformation for longer tubes.     

Non-linear waves in a fluid-filled inhomogeneous elastic tube with variable radius

In the present work, by employing the non-linear equations of motion of an incompressible, inhomogeneous, isotropic and prestressed thin elastic tube with variable radius and the approximate equations of an inviscid fluid, which is assumed to be a model for blood, we studied the propagation of non-linear waves in such a medium, in the longwave approximation. Utilizing the reductive perturbation method we obtained the variable coefficient Korteweg–de Vries (KdV) equation as the evolution equation. By seeking a progressive wave type of solution to this evolution equation, we observed that the wave speed decreases for increasing radius and shear modulus, while it increases for decreasing inner radius and the shear modulus.     

Weakly non-linear waves in a fluid-filled elastic tube with variable prestretch

In the present work, by utilizing the non-linear equations of motion of an incompressible, isotropic thin elastic tube subjected to a variable prestretch both in the axial and the radial directions and the approximate equations of motion of an incompressible inviscid fluid, which is assumed to be a model for blood, we studied the propagation of weakly non-linear waves in such a medium, in the long wave approximation. Employing the reductive perturbation method we obtained the variable coefficient KdV equation as the evolution equation. By seeking a travelling wave solution to this evolution equation, we observed that the wave speed is variable in the axial coordinate and it decreases for increasing circumferential stretch (or radius). Such a result seems to be plausible from physical considerations.     

Torsional buckling of an elastic thick-walled tube made of rubber-like material

The elastic stability of a rubber-like, thick-walled tube which is subjected to finite torsional deformation is investigated both theoretically and experimentally. The analysis is based on the theory of finite elastic deformations, in cojunction with the method of small displacements superposed on large elastic deformations. The governing field equations are solved by a numerical scheme which determines the critical buckling torque and the associated buckling mode of the tube. The predicted results compare closely with the experimental measurements of the buckling of thick-walled silicone rubber tubes tested under finite twist.     

Nonlinear regimes of variation of the shape of an elastic tube containing a flowing fluid

A linear and nonlinear analysis of the distributed oscillations of an elastic tube with a fluid flowing in it is developed. The critical flow velocity and the wavelength and oscillation frequency in the tube-flow system at loss of stability are found. The geometrical and physical nonlinearities, the latter related to increase in the Young’s modulus of the tube wall material with increasing strain, are considered. It is shown that four characteristic regimes of change of tube shape are possible: local dilatation, collapse, flexure, and distributed auto-oscillations. The tube oscillations are analyzed numerically for the nonaxisymmetric case. The conditions of existence of these effects in blood vessels are examined. Nizhni Novgorod, e-mail: klochkov@appl.sci-nnov.ru. Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 4, pp. 46–55, July–August, 2000. The work was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project No. 97-02-18612).     

The dynamic response of an incompressible non-linearly elastic membrane tube subjected to a dynamic extension

The dynamic response of an isotropic hyperelastic membrane tube, subjected to a dynamic extension at its one end, is studied. In the first part of the paper, an asymptotic expansion technique is used to derive a non-linear membrane theory for finite axially symmetric dynamic deformations of incompressible non-linearly elastic circular cylindrical tubes by starting from the three-dimensional elasticity theory. The equations governing dynamic axially symmetric deformations of the membrane tube are obtained for an arbitrary form of the strain-energy function. In the second part of the paper, finite amplitude wave propagation in an incompressible hyperelastic membrane tube is considered when one end is fixed and the other is subjected to a suddenly applied dynamic extension. A Godunov-type finite volume method is used to solve numerically the corresponding problem. Numerical results are given for the Mooney-Rivlin incompressible material. The question how the present numerical results are related to those obtained in the literature is discussed.     

Dynamic extension and twist of a non-linear elastic tube

The propagation of waves in a non-linear cylindrical elastic membrane is considered when one end is fixed and the other is subjected to a dynamic extension and twist. The governing equations are derived for a hyperelastic material with a general strain energy function. In order to obtain specific results the equations are specialised to deal with neo-Hookian materials and in this case we show that there are three real wave speeds in each direction along the cylinder. Numerical results are given and a limiting case considered which provides a check on these results.