Abstract:
In this study the effects of longitudinal tension, tube stiffness and volumetric flow rate
on the cross sectional area of a collapsible tube, flow velocity and internal pressure of
a Newtonian fluid through a cylindrical collapsible tube have been determined. The
tube was considered collapsible in the transverse direction, taken to be perpendicular
to the main flow direction. Collapse happens when external pressure exceeds internal
pressure and hence the tube results to a highly noncircular cross sectional area. The
fluid flow in consideration was steady and incompressible. Equations governing the
flow are non-linear and cannot be solved analytically. Therefore an approximate
solution to the equations was determined numerically. In this case, finite difference
method was used. A computer program then was used to generate the results which
were presented in form of graphs. The results show that the longitudinal tension and
tube stiffness are directly proportional to both the cross sectional area and internal
pressure and inversely proportional to the flow velocity and that change in volumetric
flow rate has no effect on the cross sectional area but it is directly proportional to the
flow velocity and inversely proportional to the internal pressure.
