Abstract
A numerical method employing a finite-element method is adopted for an investigation of peristaltic pumping in which all the wave amplitude, the wall-wave slope, and the Reynolds number are large. The fluid mechanics of peristaltic mixing and transport are studied in detail by analyzing the reflux and the trapping phenomena. The results show that the inertia effect of the fluid and the effect of large wall slope enhance the backward flow from the narrowest region of the channel. The appearance of the reflux depends upon the Reynolds number as well as the wavenumber (mean channel width/wavelength).
