Modelling a micro-particle close to a rapidly moving compliant wall
by
Richard Clarke
Department of Engineering Science, The University of Auckland
Coauthors: Shreyas Potnis, IIT Mumbai, India

Many modern microdevices contain small-scale components immersed in a rapidly moving fluid. Considerable unsteady hydrodynamic forces can be generated in such situations, and given that few materials are perfectly inelastic, these forces are capable of deforming both the component itself, as well as any nearby surfaces. Whilst the former scenario has been well-studied in recent years, describing the deformations of a nearby surface has received relatively little attention. We therefore present the findings from a simple elastohydrodynamic model which incorporates the dominant wall bending effects.

Date received: December 30, 2009