Soft streaming -- flow rectification via elastic boundaries

TL;DR

This paper explores how elastic boundaries influence viscous streaming around soft cylinders, revealing new flow phenomena and potential for advanced flow control in biological and microfluidic systems.

Contribution

It introduces the effects of body elasticity on viscous streaming, a previously underexplored aspect, and demonstrates additional streaming mechanisms in Stokes flows.

Findings

Elastic boundaries induce additional streaming flows.

Soft cylinders exhibit unique flow patterns compared to rigid ones.

Insights applicable to complex geometries and biological systems.

Abstract

Viscous streaming is an efficient mechanism to exploit inertia at the microscale for flow control. While streaming from rigid features has been thoroughly investigated, when body compliance is involved, as in biological settings, little is known. Here, we investigate body elasticity effects on streaming in the minimal case of an immersed soft cylinder. Our study reveals an additional streaming process, available even in Stokes flows. Paving the way for advanced forms of flow manipulation, we illustrate how gained insights may translate to complex geometries beyond circular cylinders.