Comparison of theory and experiment in peristaltic transport

Various theoretical aspects of peristaltic motion have attracted considerable attention in the recent literature. There also exists a difference of opinion concerning the definition of peristaltic reflux. Thus far, there has been no completely satisfactory experimental verification of any of the theoretical analyses. The present article describes some details of an experimental work which was carried out to verify the theoretical analysis of peristaltic transport in a two-dimensional channel with one fixed wall and one flexible wall on which a travelling sine wave is imposed. An approximate correction for finite width was introduced. Comparison of the theoretical and experimental results shows a good agreement and gives verification to the theoretical analysis. In the light of the experimental results, a discussion of the different definitions of peristaltic reflux is presented.