Project Description:
Blood and other biological fluids pass through highly elastic vessels in the body, which are susceptible to ballooning (as in the case of aneurysms) or collapse. Direct measurement of these systems is difficult in vivo, which requires analytical and computational modeling to gain insight into the relevant physiological phenomena such as rupture. To lead the modeling effort, this BDSI program is organized into three complementary research thrusts: a computational study of aneurysm geometry and flexibility; a mathematical model for the effects of pulsatile flow through a collapsible blood vessel; and the design and construction of tabletop demonstrators for the theoretical model systems. The summer research effort integrates undergraduate, graduate, and faculty team members across the areas of computational mechanics, applied mathematics, and experimental fluids design to make progress in the understanding of biological flows in elastic vessels.