A Novel Air Microfluidics-Enabled Soft Robotic Sleeve: Towards Realizing Innovative Lymphedema

Treatment – Supplementary

Run Ze Gao1, Vivian Ngoc Tram Mai1, Nicholas Levinski1, Jacqueline Mary Kormylo2,3, Robin Ward
Murdock4, Clark R. Dickerson2, Carolyn L. Ren1*
1. Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo
2. Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo
3. Breast Rehab, 1902 Roberston Road, Suite 200A, Ottawa, ON, K2H 5B8, Canada
4. Department of Research and Development, Myant Inc. (100 Ronson Drive, Toronto, ON, M9W 1B6,
Canada)
* Corresponding author: c3ren@uwaterloo.ca

Simulations

Although the term “pressure loss” across an internal fluid channel refers to the same effect as

hydraulic resistance, the terms are not directly synonymous, as pressure loss technically only describes an

effect of hydraulic resistance. The Hagen-Poiseuille Law ( Δp=R hyd Q,) describes their relationship

[ ]
Pa ∙ s 3
m
where ∆ p [ Pa ] denotes the pressure drop, Rhyd 3 is the hydraulic resistance, and Q[ ] is the
m s

volumetric flow rate.

The Hagen-Poiseuille’s Law, when combined with the Darcy-Weisbach equation that describes
2
∆ p 2fFG
the relationship between pressure loss and friction, = , allows the equations for hydraulic
L ρ Dh

∆ p Pa
resistance in channels of different cross-sections to be derived. Here, [ ] is the frictional pressure
L m

gradient, f F is the dimensionless Fanning friction factor, equivalent to one-fourth of the Darcy friction

kg kg
factor more commonly used in fluid mechanics, G[ 2
] is the mass flux, ρ[ 3 ] is the density of the
m ∙s m

fluid, and D h [m] is the equivalent hydraulic diameter.

A simple 2-D approximation simulation (Figure S1) was performed using the commercial

software, COMSOL Multiphysics (version 5.5) to illustrate the fundamentals mentioned above, capturing

the flowrates due to microchannel flow resistances.

1
 The Navier-Stokes equation was solved together with the continuity equation to obtain the flow

field. No-slip boundary condition was used as all the channels falling within the continuum flow regime,

an average velocity of 5 [m/s] was set as the inlet velocity and atmospheric pressure was applied to the

outlets. Channel sizes are detailed in Table S1. In addition, this model uses COMSOL’s default implicit

solver, and its mesh is a free triangular element type, with the predefined normal element size. Please note

that only a 2D simulation was conducted which does not involve the cross-sectional geometry because the

simulation was only used to prove the feasibility of sequential inflation, rather than providing specific

design parameters. It is not necessary to perform a 3D simulation of the actual system which is

computationally expensive.

Figure S1a is the predicted steady state fluid flow path through the channels. It can be seen that the

highest velocity is present in the rightmost channel, the largest, followed by a lower velocity in the

channel to its left, until the leftmost channel with almost zero velocity. The largest and the smallest

channels has a characteristic length of 1mm and 50µm, respectively. Figure S1b plots the exit velocities

of each channel, which clearly shows the principle of paths of least resistance in the parallel

microchannels. Due to the different exit velocities and thus different flow rates supplied to the air

bladders that are inflated sequentially.

Table S1. Square channel sizes used for the simulation.

Channe Width (µm)

l
1 1000
2 600
3 300
4 250
5 200
6 175
7 150
8 125
9 100
10 90
11 80
12 75
13 70
14 65

2
 15 60
16 55
17 50

a
a a
c chi a chip Inlet m/s
h p 6
i
p 5

3
30
2
mm
1

0
Outlets
a chip
b 1000µm
a a chip
c
hi
p 600µm
a chip

For all channel sizes refer to Table S1 300µm

a chip