As. Anayiotos et al., SHEAR-STRESS AT A COMPLIANT MODEL OF THE HUMAN CAROTID BIFURCATION, Journal of biomechanical engineering, 116(1), 1994, pp. 98-106
To investigate the role of a compliant wall to the near wall hemodynam
ic flowfield, two models of the carotid bifurcation were constructed.
Both were of identical infernal geometries, however, one was made of c
ompliant material which produced approximately the same degree of wall
motion as that occurring in vivo while the other one was rigid. The i
nner geometries were formed from the same mold so that the configurati
ons are directly comparable. Each model was placed in a pulsatile flow
system that produced a physiologic flow waveform. Velocity was measur
ed with a single component Laser system and wall shear rate was estima
ted from near wall data. Wall motion in the compliant model was measur
ed by a wall motion transducer and the maximum diameter change varied
between 4-7 percent in the model with the greatest change at the axis
intersection. The mean shear stress in the compliant model was observe
d to be smaller by about 30 percent at most locations. The variation i
n peak shear stress was greater and occasionally reached as much as 10
0 percent with the compliant model consistently having smaller positiv
e and negative peaks. The separation point was seen to move further up
stream in the compliant cast. The modified flowfield in the presence o
f a compliant wall can then be important in the hemodynamic theory of
atherogenesis.