A novel mono-physics particle-based approach for the simulation of cardiovascular fluid-structure interaction...

Area of Science:

• Computational fluid dynamics
• Biomedical engineering
• Fluid-structure interaction (FSI)

Background:

• Traditional fluid-structure interaction (FSI) methods use partitioned approaches with independent solvers, leading to high computational costs.
• These methods are essential for studying cardiovascular engineering problems where blood flow and tissue interaction are critical for biomechanics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a new FSI scheme within the incompressible smoothed particle hydrodynamics (ISPH) framework that avoids coupling separate solvers.
• To develop a computationally efficient FSI method suitable for modeling cardiovascular systems and biological soft tissues.

Main Methods:

• A unified system is proposed where ISPH particles define both fluid and structural domains.
• Solid particles are linked by spring elements, with forces calculated to restore resting lengths, integrated into the ISPH fractional-step procedure.
• This approach solves fluid and structural dynamics simultaneously within a single framework.

Main Results:

• Validation with a flexible beam in a channel showed good agreement with ANSYS® for fluid-dynamics and beam deformation.
• Application to the aortic valve function demonstrated consistent dynamics during opening and closing phases compared to literature.
• The method proved effective in modeling complex cardiovascular biomechanics.

Conclusions:

• The proposed ISPH-based FSI method is computationally more efficient than traditional approaches.
• It overcomes drawbacks of partitioned methods, enabling accurate simulation of phenomena like aortic valve coaptation.
• The method's suitability for soft tissues and potential for modeling thromboembolic events are highlighted.