  We study the driven translocation of a flexible polymer through an
interacting conical pore using Langevin dynamics simulations. We find that, for
a fixed value of externally applied force and pore polymer interaction
strength, the mean residence time of monomers inside the pore shows
non-monotonic variations with pore apex angle $\alpha$. We explain this
behavior using a free energy argument by explicitly accounting for pore-polymer
interactions and external drive. Our theoretical observations are corroborated
by the simulation results of the mean translocation times as the pore-polymer
interactions and external driving force are varied.
