Cilia transport of bio-fluid with variable viscosity (Q761225)

A circular tube, with inner wall ciliated in the form of an axisymmetric metachronal wave, has been taken to be the flow model. The fluid is assumed to be Newtonian, incompressible with viscosity varying across the section of the tube. The analysis is made under the long wavelength approximation. The effects of parameters, involved in the analysis, on the flow flux and friction force at the tube wall have been discussed graphically. The analysis is applied to understand theoretically the problem of spermatic fluid (semen) transport through vas deferens. The calculated value of flow rate has been compared with the observed value of flow rate in vas deferens of rhesus monkeys.