On analysis of the steady flow in an irrectangular parallel-plate flow chamber

The parallel-plate flow chamber (PPFC), of which the height is far smaller than its own length and width, is one of the main apparatus for the in vitr o study of the mechanical behaviors of cultured cells at the bottom of PPFC undergoing shear stress. The PPFC of which the upper and lower plates are rectangular is usually used by research workers, and the flow field in this kind of PPFC (except for the regions near the entrance and exit) is unifor m([1]), so only the effect the shear stress with one value has on cultured cells can be observed during each experiment. A kind of PPFC of which the u pper and lower plates are not rectangular is proposed in this paper. The di stributions of the velocities inside and the shear stresses at the bottom o f the chamber are given by analyzing the flow field of the steady flow in t he PPFC. The results show that the mechanical behaviors of cultured cells u ndergoing the shear stresses with various values may be simultaneously obse rved by the use of this kind of irrectangular PPFC. The theoretical and exp erimental results obtained by Ultrasonic Doppler Technique show good agreem ent.