FED-Vol. 137, Advances in Finite Element Analysis in Fluid Dynamics ASME 1992 NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF 3-D ARTERIAL FLOWS IN DOUBLE CURVED FEMORAL ARTERY OF MAN

ABSTRACI . . A three-dimensional steady flow sunulanon at Repeak=580 was made in a smooth reverse curvature model that conformed to the gentle "S" shape from a human left femoral artery angiogram. T!Je objective of this numerical investigation was to fmd th~ ch~ges m velocity profile, shear stress, and pressure drop ?Ccwnng In the double-curved arterial vessel. At the outer wall In the fIrst bend region, where blood impinges, the wall shear stress approached 40 dyne/cm2 a value nearly twice as large as in the straight upstream segment. Conversely, at the inner wall in the first bend, a low shear stress region was found where the valu~ of the ~hear stre~s.',~'a~ consistentlv smaller than that in the straIght sectIon. The mltlatIon of centrifugal' effects caused by the fIrst bend could be clearly s~n. but, due to close proximity of the reverse curvature the double-spiraling motion was not observed. Further, the strong momentum effect due to reverse curvature overshadowed the centrifugal effect of fIrst bend. Hence, only near the end of the second bend did the centrifugal effect due to the second bend result in a double-spiraling motion. In addition, r..'e numerically calculated pressure drop data were in agreement ""ith prior experimental values.