Water flow through a 20-pore perforation plate in vessels of Liquidambar styraciflua

The flow of water through perforation plates of Liquidambarstyraciflua vessels was studied through a computational fluiddynamics approach together with a large-scale physical model of theperforation plate. For the computational approach, a finite elements modelwas constructed of a 20-pore perforation plate and the region around theplate. Solutions of this model describe pressures and velocities for pointswithin the model. The pressure gradient within the pores of the plate wasabout 40-fold greater than for regions away from the plate. However theinfluence of the plate on flow extends for only a very short distancebefore and after the plate. Overall, the perforation plate in this modelwas calculated to account for 23% of the total resistance to flowencountered along the vessel. Calculations from the physical model provideda similar estimate of 21% for the contribution of the perforation plate toflow resistance.