Validation of a fluid–structure interaction model for a bileaflet mechanical heart valve

Abstract

A fluid-structure interaction (FSI) model for heart valve simulation is presented. In a partitioned framework, separate fluid and structure solvers are weakly coupled, which in combination with the use of artificial compressibility in the fluid solver, leads to a stable and efficient approach. An Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian formulation is employed in the fluid solver to permit the accurate calculation of shear stresses next to the valve boundary. The mesh quality is maintained through a combination of smoothing and local remeshing in 3D. The FSI algorithm is validated on experiments of an idealised quasi-2D mechanical heart valve, and the efficiency of the remeshing approach is demonstrated on a realistic 3D heart-valve geometry.