Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 4, 2025
13:07
Optical Coherence Tomography Based Biomechanical Fluid-Structure Interaction Analysis of Coronary Atherosclerosis Progression
Published on: January 15, 2022
4.1K
Volumetric lattice Boltzmann method for wall stresses of image-based pulsatile flows
Xiaoyu Zhang1, Joan Gomez-Paz2, Xi Chen1
1Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis (IUPUI), Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
Scientific Reports
|February 2, 2022
Summary
A new computational platform integrates image data with the volumetric lattice Boltzmann method (VLBM) to accurately compute wall stresses in pulsatile flows. This tool enhances image-based computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for medical and engineering applications.
Area of Science:
- Fluid Dynamics
- Computational Science
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Image-based computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is crucial for analyzing pulsatile flows.
- Existing methods for determining wall stresses from images are often manual, laborious, and prone to errors.
- A direct computational link between image data and pulsatile wall stress analysis is currently lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a novel computational platform for computing wall stresses in image-based pulsatile flows.
- To seamlessly integrate image processing with the volumetric lattice Boltzmann method (VLBM).
- To demonstrate the platform's reliability and applicability in benchmark and application studies.
Main Methods:
- Development of a unique image processing technique to extract flow domains and local wall normality.
- Implementation of a seamless workflow connecting image extraction to the volumetric lattice Boltzmann method (VLBM).
- En-route calculation of the strain-rate tensor within the VLBM framework.
Main Results:
- Validated the platform using benchmark studies of laminar and turbulent pulsatile flows in image-based pipes (Re: 10-5000).
- Achieved good agreement between computed pulsatile velocity/shear stress and analytical/experimental data.
- Demonstrated applicability in quantifying pulsatile hemodynamics in human vertebral and carotid arteries, with velocity fields matching MRA data.
Conclusions:
- The developed computational platform effectively computes wall stresses in image-based pulsatile flows.
- This tool offers a reliable and efficient solution for image-based CFD, particularly for medical applications like hemodynamics.
- The platform is also suitable for pore-scale porous media flow analysis in diverse natural and engineering systems.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Steady, Laminar Flow in Circular Tubes
491
Hagen-Poiseuille flow describes a viscous fluid's steady, incompressible flow through a cylindrical tube with a constant radius R. This flow profile is often applied to understand fluid transport in narrow channels, such as capillaries. It serves as a foundational example of laminar flow. In this model, cylindrical coordinates (r,θ,z) are used to describe the radial (r), angular (θ), and axial (z) dimensions within the tube. For Hagen-Poiseuille flow, the velocity profile is...
491
01:17Steady, Laminar Flow Between Parallel Plates
434
Understanding steady, laminar flow between parallel plates is essential for analyzing and designing flow in narrow rectangular channels, commonly found in various water conveyance and drainage systems. The Navier-Stokes equations govern fluid motion and are generally challenging to solve due to their nonlinearity. However, simplifications are possible in certain cases, like the steady laminar flow between parallel plates. For this scenario, we assume steady, incompressible, laminar flow.
434
01:07Laminar and Turbulent Flow
9.4K
Fluid dynamics is the study of fluids in motion. Velocity vectors are often used to illustrate fluid motion in applications like meteorology. For example, wind—the fluid motion of air in the atmosphere—can be represented by vectors indicating the speed and direction of the wind at any given point on a map. Another method for representing fluid motion is a streamline. A streamline represents the path of a small volume of fluid as it flows. When the flow pattern changes with time, the...
9.4K
01:28Navier–Stokes Equations
896
For incompressible Newtonian fluids, where density remains constant, stresses show a linear relationship with the deformation rate, defined by normal and shear stresses. Normal stresses depend on the pressure exerted on the fluid and the rate of deformation in specific directions, which determines how fluid flows under varying pressures. Shear stresses, on the other hand, act tangentially across fluid layers. They explain how adjacent fluid layers slide relative to one another, connecting...
896
01:22Couette Flow
506
Couette flow represents the flow of fluid between two parallel plates, with one plate fixed and the other moving with a constant velocity. This configuration allows for a simplified analysis using the Navier-Stokes equations, which govern fluid motion under conditions of viscosity and incompressibility. For Couette flow, the assumptions include a steady, laminar, incompressible flow with a zero-pressure gradient in the flow direction. This flow type is beneficial for understanding shear-driven...
506
01:11Pressure Variation in a Fluid at Rest
433
In a fluid at rest, the pressure at any point beneath the fluid surface depends solely on the depth, not on the container's shape or size. This principle, known as hydrostatic pressure, arises because, in stationary fluids, there is no acceleration, meaning the forces within the fluid balance out. Only vertical forces, caused by the weight of the fluid above, contribute to pressure changes with depth.
When measuring pressure at two different levels within the fluid, the difference in...
When measuring pressure at two different levels within the fluid, the difference in...
433