Dynamics and motion-planning for microfluidic flow within elastic walls

The article examines the pressure-controlled dynamics of the flowrate in an elastic microchannel. As shown by numerical simulations, the elasticity of the channel gives rise to a complex and nonlinear transient response. The employed numerical scheme is based on the method of characteristics. It is also used to solve the inverse problem of determining the inlet pressure required to achieve a smooth flowrate at the microchannel outlet.