Arterial fluid mechanics computations with the stabilized space-time fluid-structure interaction techniques

The stabilized space-time fluid-structure interaction (SSTFSI) techniques developed by the Team for Advanced Flow Simulation and Modeling (T☆AFSM) are applied to the field of arterial fluid mechanics through the FSI modeling of a cerebral artery with a small, saccular aneurysm. All arterial structures are modeled with membrane elements, which are geometrically nonlinear. FSI computations of cardio-vascular systems presently interest the scientific community as such types of analysis provide a non-invasive means of analyzing a patient's condition and risk for aneurysm rupture, a potentially life-threatening condition. Test computations for varying arterial wall thickness and blood pressure are presented for this cerebral aneurysm, with the arterial geometries of the computations closely approximating patient-specific image-based data. Results show the T☆AFSM's ability to handle complex and realistic FSI simulations while demonstrating the capability and utility of FSI simulations in the field of cardiovascular fluid mechanics.