
96 
D. 
Fusco 
and 
N. 
Manganaro 
ii) 
mo 
= 
0,ml 
= 
O,m2 
arbitrary.  Here  an approach similar  to 
that above yields 
emZx 
- 
e-mZX 
v(x,t) 
= 
2m2r 
(3.25) 
In 
both cases i) and ii) considered above there are no restrictions 
on  the function 
P(x) 
simulating external pressure in  the governing 
model 
(2.11), (2.12). 
4 
Conclusions and Final Remarks 
The method of  approach we  developed herein in order  to determine 
exact  solutions  to  the  nonautonomous  system  governing flows  in 
fluid-filled  elastic tubes was essentially based on two steps.  First, by 
considering the general  classes  of  material  response functions 
(2.3) 
to 
(2.5) 
allowing for the existence of  group symmetries to the model 
in point  as shown in 
[14], 
we  used  the similarity-like variable trans- 
formation 
(2.8) 
to 
(2.10) 
in order to reduce the system of  equations 
(2.1), (2.2) 
to the autonomous form 
(2.11),  (2.12). 
Furthermore for 
the latter system we  worked out 
a 
procedure for finding out the con- 
cerned solutions for which the model 
(2.11), (2.12) 
is consistent with 
two additional equations like 
(1.3) 
and 
(1.4) 
with 
a 
prescribed form 
of 
F 
and 
G 
suggested by 
a 
well established result for 
2 
x 
2 
quasilinear 
homogeneous hyperbolic systems of  first order. 
Of 
course, along the 
same lines of  the analysis worked out hitherto other forms of 
F 
and 
G 
can be considered. In these cases 
a 
leading idea to prescribe 
F 
and 
G 
is to achieve, by  means of  the transformation 
(3.2), 
a 
hodograph-like 
system (see 
(3.4)) 
which can be reduced to 
a 
canonical form dowing 
for an explicit integration 
[4], [5]. 
In the process we  have been able to 
provide 
a 
vehicle for characterizing possible model constitutive laws 
to the governing system under  interest.  About  that concern we  re- 
mark that we  have some freedom to choose the function 
g(n) 
which 
characterizes the cross-sectional  area law and which is involved also