In this work, we study the propagation of weakly nonlinear waves in a prestressed thin elastic tube filled with an inviscid fluid. In the analysis, considering the physiological conditions under which the arteries function, the tube is assumed to be subjected to a uniform pressure P{sub}0 and a constant axial stretch ratioλ. In the course of blood flow in arteries, it is assumed that a finite time dependent radial displacement is superimposed on this static field but, due to axial tethering, the effect of axial displacement is neglected. The governing nonlinear equation for the radial motion of the tube under the effect of fluid pressure is obtained. Using the exact nonlinear equations of an incompressible inviscid fluid and the reductive perturbation technique, the propagation of weakly nonlinear waves in a fluid-filled thin elastic tube is investigated in the longwave approximation. The governing equation for this special case is obtained as the Korteweg-de-Vries equation. It is shown that, contrary to the result of previous works on the same subject, in the present work, even for Mooney-Rivlin material, it is possible to obtain the nonlinear Korteweg-de-Vries equation.
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