Peristaltic transport of viscoelastic fluid in curved ducts with ciliated walls

Abstract

The transport of complex rheological fluids in physiological ducts is often facilitated by the dynamic phenomenon of peristalsis. Additionally, peristaltic transport assisted by cilia plays a significant role in various natural processes such as respiration, circulation, locomotion, and reproduction. This study focuses on magnetically induced flow bounded by non-uniform curved walls, motivated by the importance of peristalsis and micro-organism motility. To characterize the complex rheology of the fluid liner, a viscoelastic model described by the constitutive equation of Jeffrey's fluid is employed. The flow problem is mathematically formulated using curvilinear coordinates. Subsequently, linear transformations and scaling factors are applied to convert the equations into dimensionless form, while considering biotic restrictions such as creeping transport and long wavelength to reduce dependent variables. By utilizing the stream function and cross-differentiation, a fourth-order equation is obtained and numerically approximated using the shooting method. The effects of various parameters on the flow are illustrated through graphs, and a physical interpretation of the graphical results is provided. It is observed that ciliated walls of the channel enhance the velocity and pumping, while trapping phenomena are more pronounced in a non-uniform channel compared to a uniform channel.