An insect-inspired micropumping paradigm: theory and Stokeslets-meshfree computations
Yasser Aboelkassem, Virginia Tech

Abstract:
Inspired by microscale internal flow transport phenomena in insect tracheal networks and their rhythmic wall contractions. We present a novel bioinspired pumping paradigm that is neither peristaltic nor belongs to impedance mismatch class of pumping mechanisms. Both theoretical analysis and Stokeslets-meshfree computational methods are used to solve for the 2D and 3D viscous flow transport in several micro-geometries with prescribed moving wall contractions.

This talk focuses more on the numerical side used in this study. More specically on the singularized Stokeslets-meshfree computational approach and on the possible regularization techniques that have been successfully used to solve their emerging ill-conditioned linear system of equations issue. We include the results of several experiments based on hybrid regularization projection-Krylov iterative methods such as GMRES method to solve the regularized linear system. The computational results conducted here are used to extend, strengthen and support our bioinspired pumping paradigm developed in this study.