Numerical simulations of a traveling plane-wave actuator for microfluidic applications

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Continuous forming and propagation of large planar deformations on a thin solid elastic film can create propulsion when the film is immersed in a fluid. Microscopic organisms such as spermatozoa use similar mechanisms to propel themselves. In this work, we present a numerical analysis of the effect of traveling plane-wave deformations on an elastic-film actuator within a fluid medium inside a channel. In particular, we analyzed a micropump that consists of a wave actuator, which is placed in a channel to pump the fluid in the direction of the planedeformation waves. The unsteady flow over the moving boundary between the parallel plates has very low Reynolds number, and, hence, is modeled using the two-dimensional time-dependent Stokes equations. The fluid-structure interaction due to moving boundary is modeled with the arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) method incorporating the Winslow smoothing. COMSOL is used to solve two-dimensional timedependent Stokes equations on a deforming mesh, and to carry out simulations of the flow. Effects of the deformation amplitude, wavelength, frequency and channel height on the flow rate are presented.