One-Dimensional Numerical Simulation of Visco-Elastic Tube. With Consideration of Unsteady Viscous Resistance and Visco-Elasticity of the Tube.

Abstract

Flow simulation is useful for understanding and quantifying fluid phenomena which arise in the circulatory system. The blood flow in vivo, however, is complicated because of its unsteadiness and complex viscoelastic property of blood vessel wall. Conventional one-dimensional models do not involve the effects of the unsteady viscousity and the viscoelastic behavior of the arteries which are important in analyzing the pulse wave propagation along the arteries. We thereby proposed a one-dimensional model which can accurately calculate the effect of the unsteady viscosity and using tube law expressed in the generalized viscoelastic model of arterial wall, aiming at performing numerical simulations of blood flows in the systemic arteries. The simulated results show good agreement with the measurements of pressure waves in a silicone rubber tube and indicate that the influence of the "unsteady viscous resistance and the viscoelasticity of the wall is significant and hence should be accounted for even in the one-dimensional model.