Velocity Profile and Effect of Secondary Flow on Wall Shear Stress through Asymmetrical Branch.

Abstract

In the present study, the effect of the secondary helical flow on the variation of wall shear stress using an asymmetrical branch model has been studied experimentally. The experiment has been carried out for a branch model, such as the inferior mesenteric artery from the abdominal aorta, so that the daughter tube branches out from the parent tube at 45 deg with the radius of curvature at the upstream corner of the daughter tube. In the experiment, the velocity profiles and the wall shear stress have been measured by a laser Doppler velocimeter and the electrochemical method, respectively. The results show that the variation of wall shear stress along the proximal wall strongly depends on the geometry of the proximal wall. Furthermore, the variation of wall shear stress results from the secondary helical motion flowing into the daughter tube from the parent tube. The wall shear stress estimated from the velocity profile is compared with that measured by the electrochemical method.