Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Controlled Microfluidic Environment for Dynamic Investigation of Red Blood Cell Aggregation
Published on: June 4, 2015
Swinging of red blood cells under shear flow
Manouk Abkarian1, Magalie Faivre, Annie Viallat
1Laboratoire des Colloïdes, Verres et Nanomatériaux, UMR 5587, CNRS/UM2, CC26, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France. abkarian@lcvn-montp2.fr
Abstract:
We reveal that under moderate shear stress (etagamma[over ] approximately 0.1 Pa) red blood cells present an oscillation of their inclination (swinging) superimposed to the long-observed steady tank treading (TT) motion. A model based on a fluid ellipsoid surrounded by a viscoelastic membrane initially unstrained (shape memory) predicts all observed features of the motion: an increase of both swinging amplitude and period (1/2 the TT period) upon decreasing etagamma[over ], a etagamma[over ]-triggered transition toward a narrow etagamma[over ] range intermittent regime of successive swinging and tumbling, and a pure tumbling at low etagamma[over ] values.
Related Concept Videos
Blood Flow
Lifecycle of Erythrocytes
The resident phagocytic macrophages deal with these damaged cells by engulfing them and separating their globin and heme groups.
Steady, Laminar Flow Between Parallel Plates
Couette Flow
Navier–Stokes Equations
Shearing Stress
The average shearing stress can be calculated by dividing the shear by the area of the cross-section.

