A hybird red blood cell model based on the linear spring network model and worm-like-chains model

Abstract

Because the red blood cell (RBC) has good deformation performance, it's important to build an appropriate model for RBC when studying the RBC being sheared in flow and other situation. This paper built a hybird RBC model based on the linear spring network (SN) model and worm-like-chains (WLC) model. The hybird model has the advantage of SN model's simple structure and small computation amount, also has the advantage of WLC model's nonlinear response. Then, this paper simulated the RBC being stretched based on hybird model and SN model respectively. The comparison of simulation results with experiment result indicated the hybird model was more accurate. Immersed boundary-lattice Boltzmann method (IB-LBM) was used in the simulation of RBC in shear flow. The deformation process and free energy change of RBC was studied. The result of hybird model performed more reasonable than the SN model. The threshold limit of RBC's free energy for hemolysis was found to be 3.5×10−15J.