A numerical study on the effect of trapezium stenosis shape on the axisymmetric flow field around stenosis

Abstract

Numerical simulations on the pulsatile flow in stenosed tubes were conducted to investigate the effect of trapezium shape of stenosis on the flow field around stenoses. Four trapezium shapes of stenoses were considered by varying contraction, plateau, and expansion parts of stenoses for different stenosis area reduction ratios. The Galerkin finite element method based on the P2P1 mixed element was employed to solve the axisymmetric incompressible Navier-Stokes equations and the continuity equation. The proposed numerical method was validated by solving a benchmark problem of stenotic flow. It was found that the average pressure profile along the centerline was more affected by the contraction shape than the expansion shape. It was also revealed that the average wall shear stress of mild contraction was greater than that of sudden contraction around the stenotic region. Furthermore, the pressure drop across the stenosis was found to be associated with the form drag experienced by the stenosis.