Cross-sectional changes in an asymmetric tube with bearing on non-invasive pressure measurements

This study aims at investigating the radial dimensional changes, as a result of an applied intraluminal pressure for an elastic tube with non-uniform cross section. The study is related to a method for non-invasive pressure measurement using the extracorporeal tube as part of the sensor. The intended application is for monitoring of pressure in the blood and dialysate tubes during haemodialysis. The intention is to find a tube cross-section geometry that results in an expansion of the tube so that it is suitable to use as a component in a pressure sensor. The tube should have high radial compliance and expand in a well-defined manner to be able to transfer the intraluminal pressure to a transducer element sensing the radial force. Radial expansion was studied experimentally for tubes with different cross-section geometries. For small tube expansions the resolution in the experimental measurements was not sufficient to study the radial expansion. In this case, numerical simulation was performed. We conclude that a tube with essentially elliptic outer surface and circular inner surface, with a relation of 1:2 between the size of the thin and thick wall, results in a radial expansion upon application of pressure indicating that this tube is suitable for use as part of a sensor.