Deformation of an Elastic Beam due to Viscous Flow in an Embedded Parallel Channel Network

Abstract: Elastic deformation due to embedded fluidic networks is currently studied in the context of soft-actuators and soft-robotic applications. In this work, we analyze interaction between the elastic deflection of a slender beam and viscous flow within a long serpentine channel, embedded in the elastic beam. The channel is positioned asymmetrically with regard to the midplane of the beam, and thus pressure within the channel creates a local moment deforming the beam. We focus on creeping flows and small deflections of the elastic beam and obtain, in leading order, a fourth-order partial integro-differential equation governing the time-dependent deflection field. This relation enables the design of complex time-dependent deformation patterns of beams with embedded channel networks, including inertia-like standing and moving wave solutions in configurations with negligible inertia.