Single-Wave Peristalsis
Abstract Single-wave peristalsis propagating on the wall of a cylindrical tube is simulated. The unsteady, three-dimensional, incompressible Navier-Stokes equations are solved numerically. The flow is computed with moving boundaries and moving grid. A second-order in time and third-order upwind finite volume method for solving time-accurate incompressible flows utilizing pseudo-compressibility technique is used. In this study, the flow of an axisymmetric “tear-drop” shaped, single, peristaltic wave is analyzed. The effect of transient state on the flow is limited. The three-dimensional effects are also limited to the transient state. The lubrication theory application to the single wave flow may not be appropriate due to its inability to adjust the pressure nonlinearly.