Semi-implicit fluid–structure interaction in biomedical applications

Richard Schussnig*, Douglas R.Q. Pacheco, Manfred Kaltenbacher, Thomas Peter Fries

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Fluid–structure interaction (FSI) incorporates effects of fluid flows on deformable solids and vice versa. Complex biomedical problems in clinical applications continue to challenge numerical algorithms, as incorporating the underlying mathematical methods can impair the solvers’ performance drastically. In this regard, we extend a semi-implicit, pressure Poisson-based FSI scheme for non-Newtonian fluids to incorporate several models crucial for biomechanical applications. We consider Windkessel outlets to account for neglected downstream flow regions, realistic material fibre orientation and stressed reference geometries reconstructed from medical image data. Additionally, we incorporate vital numerical aspects, namely, stabilisations to counteract dominant convective effects and instabilities triggered by re-entrant flow, while a major contribution of this work is combining interface quasi-Newton methods with Robin coupling conditions to accelerate the partitioned (semi-)implicit coupling scheme. The numerical examples presented herein aim to finally bridge the gap to real-world applications, considering state-of-the-art modelling aspects and physiological parameters. FSI simulations of blood flow in an iliac bifurcation derived from medical images and vocal folds deforming in the process of human phonation demonstrate the versatility of the framework.

Original languageEnglish
Article number115489
JournalComputer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering
Volume400
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 2022

Keywords

  • Fluid–structure interaction
  • Fractional-step time-marching
  • Navier–Stokes equations
  • Non-Newtonian fluid
  • Patient-specific simulation
  • Semi-implicit coupling

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Computational Mechanics
  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • General Physics and Astronomy
  • Computer Science Applications

Fields of Expertise

  • Human- & Biotechnology
  • Information, Communication & Computing

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