Abstract
In the present study, a nonlinear analysis is performed for a collapsible tube system consisting of a reservoir with inlet and outlet flow conditions. The forced downstream pressure is modeled as a cubic function similar to the van der Pol equation for a relaxation oscillator. Features that give rise to sustained relaxation oscillations exhibited in the van der Pol oscillator manifest here as inertia due to fluid flow, capacitance due to compressible volume inside the reservoir, and an energy source from the work done by the downstream pressure. Mechanisms that give rise to relaxation oscillations in a collapsible tube system are examined based on numerical results. Also, the effects of compressible volume, length of the channel on pressure and mass flow rate oscillation are investigated.
