Fluid filling of a membrane tube with self-weight

The filling of a membrane tube with self-weight by a fluid is studied theoretically for the first time. The fundamental problem depends on two non-dimensional parameters, β and γ which represent the importance of internal pressure and membrane self-weight respectively. The nonlinear equations are solved by an efficient numerical integration method. It is found that membrane self-weight has considerable effect on the tube geometry and the tension of the membrane at low filling pressures.