Time dependent non-Newtonian numerical study of the flow field in a realistic model of aortic arch

A three-dimensional time dependent numerical simulation was performed in a geometric model of aortic arch complete with a realistic aortic root and major branches originating from the arch, for a peak Reynolds number set at 2200 and Womersley number set at 20.4. The computational fluid dynamic analysis was aimed to provide spatial and temporal distribution of the shear stress all along the entire model together with the velocity patterns, related both to the non planar geometry of the aortic system here considered and to the pulsatility imposed on the numerical model to simulate physiologic conditions. A non-Newtonian evolving fluid was considered to account for the actual rheological nature of blood; a comparison on the incidence of wall shear stress, implementing a Newtonian fluid, was also made as reference. The spatial shear stress pattern, within the cardiac cycle, was shown to have higher values in correspondence to the inner wall of the aortic arch and the sites where the major vessels originated from the arch itself. The velocity patterns, on transversal sections of the aorta, resulted in highly skewed morphology. The resulting complex fluid dynamics, established in the aortic arch and in its branches, can be related to the possible endothelium response to mechanical stimuli, induced by wall shear stress, in the promotion of inflammatory events.