Simulation-based analysis of flow due to traveling-plane-wave deformations on elastic thin-film actuators in micropumps

One of the propulsion mechanisms of microorganisms is based on propagation of bending deformations on an elastic tail. In principle, an elastic thin-film can be placed in a channel and actuated for pumping of the fluid by means of introducing a series of traveling-wave deformations on the film. Here, we present a simulation-based analysis of transient, two-dimensional Stokes flow induced by propagation of sinusoidal deformations on an elastic thin-film submerged in a fluid between parallel plates. Simulations are based on a numerical model that solves time-dependent Stokes equations on deforming finite-element mesh, which is due to the motion of the thin-film boundary and obtained by means of the arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian method. Effects of the wavelength, frequency, amplitude and channel’s height on the timeaveraged flow rate and the rate-of-work done on the fluid by the thin-film are demonstrated and grouped together as the flow-rate and power parameters to manifest a combined parametric dependence.