Fluid-structure interaction analysis on the effects of vessel material properties on blood flow characteristics in stenosed arteries under axial rotation

Abstract

We conducted blood flow analysis, using the Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) method, to examine how changes in the material properties of blood vessels affect blood flow characteristics, using the carotid artery as the model vessel. The geometry of the blood vessel included 50% stenosis at the center, and blood was modeled as a non-Newtonian fluid. In order to investigate the effects of vessel material properties, linear elastic models with 0.21 MPa, 0.51 MPa, and 1.25 MPa, which are within the typical elastic modulus range of the carotid artery, were used to simulate the blood vessel, and these were compared with the rigid body model. The difference in blood vessel elasticity caused periodic and transient changes in blood flow. The more elastic the blood vessel becomes, the longer the periods of velocity, pressure, and Wall Shear Stress (WSS) change and the smaller the size of the Fluid Recirculation Zone (FRZ). Also, transient changes in blood flow occurred due to the accumulation of differences in flow caused by vessel wall deformation. This is because a change in the stiffness of the vessel wall causes the vessel's vibration period to change, leading to changes in blood flow.