A computer simulation of the blood flow at the aortic bifurcation with flexible walls

To understand the role of fluid dynamics in atherogenesis, especially the effect of the flexibility of arteries, a two-dimensional numerical model for blood flow at the aortic bifurcation with linear viscoelastic walls is developed. The arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian method is adopted to deal with the moving boundary problem. The wall expansion induces flow reversals or eddies during the decelerating systole while the wall contraction restricts them during the diastole. A flexible bifurcation experiences the shear stresses about 10 percent lower than those of a rigid one.