Simulation-based analysis of flow due to traveling- plane-wave deformations on elastic thinfilm 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 fluids by means of introducing a series of traveling-wave deformations on the film. Here, we present a simulationbased 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 timedependent Stokes equations on deforming mesh, which is due to the motion of the thin-film boundary and solved with the arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) method. Effects of the wavelength, frequency, amplitude and channel's height on the time-averaged flow rate and the rate-of-work done on the fluid by the thinfilm are demonstrated and grouped together as the flow-rate and power parameters to manifest a combined parametric dependence.