The technique of large-eddy simulation (LES) has been applied to the study of pulsatile flow through a modeled arterial stenosis. A simple stenosis model has been used that consists of a one-sided 50 percent semicircular constriction in a planar channel. The inlet volume flux is varied sinusoidally in time in a manner similar to the laminar flow simulations of Tutty (1992). LES is used to compute flow at a peak Reynolds number of 2000 and a Strouhal number of 0.024. At this Reynolds number, the flow downstream of the stenosis transitions to turbulence and exhibits all the classic features of post-stenotic flow as described by Khalifa and Giddens (1981) and Lieber and Giddens (1990). These include the periodic shedding of shear layer vortices and transition to turbulence downstream of the stenosis. Computed frequency spectra indicate that the vortex shedding occurs at a distinct high frequency, and the potential implication of this for noninvasive diagnosis of arterial stenoses is discussed. A variety of statistics have been also extracted and a number of other physical features of the flow are described in order to demonstrate the usefulness of LES for the study of post-stenotic flows.

1.
Fung, Y. C., 1997, Biomechanics: Circulation, 2nd ed., Springer-Verlag, New York.
2.
Pedley, T. J., 1980, The Fluid Mechanics of Large Blood Vessels, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
3.
White, F. M., 1991, Viscous Fluid Flow, McGraw-Hill, New York.
4.
Winter
,
D. C.
, and
Nerem
,
R. M.
,
1984
, “
Turbulence in Pulsatile Flows
,”
Ann. Biomed. Eng.
,
12
, pp.
357
369
.
5.
Davies
,
C.
, and
Carpenter
,
P. W.
,
1997
, “
Numerical Simulation of the Evolution of Tollmien–Schlichting Waves Over Compliant Panels
,”
J. Fluid Mech.
,
335
pp.
361
392
.
1.
Ku
,
D. N.
,
1997
, “
Blood Flow in Arteries
,”
Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech.
,
29
, pp.
399
-
343
;
2.
Arteriosclerosis
,
5
, pp.
289
302
.
1.
Nichols, W. W., and O’Rourke, M. F., 1998, McDonald’s Blood Flow in Arteries Theoretical, Experimental and Clinical Principles 4th ed., Oxford University Press, New York.
2.
Roshko, A., 1954, “On the Development of Turbulent Wakes From Vortex Streets,” NACA Report 1191, pp. 124–132.
3.
Bloor
,
M. S.
,
1964
, “
The Transition to Turbulence in the Wake of a Circular Cylinder
,”
J. Fluid Mech.
,
21
, p.
290
290
.
4.
Giddens
,
D. P.
,
Zarins
,
C. K.
, and
Glagov
,
S.
,
1993
, “
The Role of Fluid Mechanics in the Localization and Detection of Atherosclerosis
,”
ASME J. Biomech. Eng.
,
115
, pp.
588
594
.
5.
Downing
,
J. M.
, and
Ku
,
D. N.
,
1997
, “
Effects of Frictional Losses and Pulsatile Flow on the Collapse of Stenotic Arteries
,”
ASME J. Biomech. Eng.
,
119
, pp.
317
324
.
6.
Lees
,
X. X.
, and
Dewey
,
Y. Y
,
1970
, “
Phonoangiography: A New Noninvasive Diagnostic Method for Studying Arterial Disease
,”
Physica A
,
67
, No.
2
, pp.
935
942
.
7.
Cloutier
,
G
,
Allard
,
L.
, and
Durand
,
L.-G.
,
1996
, “
Characterization of Blood Flow Turbulence With Pulsed-Wave and Power Doppler Ultrasound Imaging
,”
ASME J. Biomech. Eng.
,
118
, pp.
318
325
.
8.
Rogallo
,
R. S.
, and
Moin
,
P
,
1984
, “
Numerical Simulation of Turbulent Flows
,”
Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech.
,
16
, pp.
99
137
.
9.
Wilcox, D. C., 1998, Turbulence Modeling for CFD, DCW Industries.
10.
Tutty
,
O. R.
,
1992
, “
Pulsatile Flow in a Constricted Channel
,”
ASME J. Biomech. Eng.
,
114
, pp.
50
54
.
11.
Germano
,
M.
,
Piomelli
,
U.
,
Moin
,
P.
, and
Cabot
,
W.
,
1991
, “
A Dynamic Subgrid-Scale Eddy Viscosity Model
,”
Phys. Fluids
,
A3
, pp.
1760
1765
.
12.
Lesieur
,
M.
, and
Metais
,
O.
,
1994
, “
New Trends in Large-Eddy Simulation
,”
Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech.
,
28
, pp.
45
82
.
13.
Mittal
,
R.
, and
Moin
,
P.
,
1997
, “
Suitability of Upwind-Biased Schemes for Large-Eddy Simulation of Turbulent Flows
,”
AIAA J.
,
35
, No.
8
, pp.
1415
1417
.
14.
Kaltenbach
,
H.-J.
,
Fatica
,
M.
,
Mittal
,
R.
,
Lund
,
T. S.
, and
Moin
,
P.
,
1999
, “
Study of Flow in Planar Asymmetric Diffuser Using Large-Eddy Simulation
,”
J. Fluid Mech.
,
390
, pp.
151
186
.
15.
Smagorinsky
,
J.
,
1963
, “
General Circulation Experiments With the Primitive Equations
,”
Mon. Weather Rev.
,
91
, No.
3
, pp.
99
164
.
16.
Lilly
,
D. K.
,
1992
, “
A Proposed Modification of the Germano Subgrid-Scale Closure
,”
Method. Phys. Fluids
,
A4
, pp.
633
635
.
17.
Piomelli
,
U.
,
1999
, “
Large-Eddy Simulation: Achievements and Challenges
,”
Prog. Aerosp. Sci.
,
35
, No.
4
, pp.
335
362
.
18.
Chorin
,
A. J.
,
1968
, “
Numerical Solution of the Navier–Stokes Equations
,”
Math. Comput.
,
22
, pp.
745
757
.
19.
Holman
,
E.
,
1955
, “
The Development of Arterial Aneurysms
,”
J. Surgical Gynecology Obstetrics
,
100
, pp.
599
611
.
20.
Ku, D. N, Giddens, D. P., Zarins, C. K., and Glagov, S., 1985, Pulsatile Flow and Atherosclerosis in the Human Carotid Bifurcation.
21.
Friedman
,
M. H.
,
Hutchins
,
G. M.
,
Bargeron
,
C. B.
,
Deters
,
O. J.
, and
Mark
,
F. F.
,
1981
, “
Correlation Between Intimal Thickness and Fluid Shear in Human Arteries
,”
Atherosclerosis
,
39
, pp.
425
436
.
22.
Stein
,
P. D.
,
Walburn
,
F. J.
, and
Sabbah
,
H. N.
,
1982
, “
Turbulent Stresses in the Region of Aortic and Pulmonary Valves
,”
ASME J. Biomech. Eng.
,
104
, pp.
238
244
.
23.
Nerem
,
R. M
,
1992
, “
Vascular Fluid Mechanics, the Arterial Wall and Atherosclerosis
,”
ASME J. Biomech. Eng.
,
114
, pp.
274
282
.
24.
Zarins, C. K., and Glagov, S., 1994, “Pathophysiology of Human Atherosclerosis,” in: F. J. Vieth, R. W. Hobson II, R. A. Williams, et al., eds., Vascular Surgery—Principles and Practice, 2nd ed., McGraw-Hill, New York, pp. 21–39.
25.
Khalifa
,
A. M. A.
, and
Giddens
,
D. P.
,
1981
, “
Characterization and Evolution of Post-Stenotic Flow Disturbances
,”
J. Biomech.
,
14
, pp.
279
296
.
26.
Lieber
,
B. B.
, and
Giddens
,
D. P.
,
1990
, “
Post-stenotic Core Flow Behavior in Pulsatile Flow and Its Effects on Wall Shear Stress
,”
J. Biomech.
,
23
, No.
6
, pp.
597
605
.
27.
Reynolds
,
W. C.
, and
Hussain
,
A. K. M. F.
,
1972
, “
The Mechanics of an Organized Wave in Turbulent Shear Flow. Part 3. Theoretical Models and Comparisons With Experiments
,”
J. Fluid Mech.
,
54
, pp.
263
288
.
28.
Khalifa
,
A. M. A.
, and
Giddens
,
D. P.
,
1978
, “
Analysis of Disorder in Pulsatile Flows With Applications to Poststenotic Blood Velocity Measurements in Dogs
,”
J. Biomech.
,
11
, pp.
129
141
.
29.
Tennekes, H., and Lumley, J. L., 1972, A First Course in Turbulence, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.
30.
Prasad
,
A.
, and
Williamson
,
C. H. K.
,
1996
, “
The Instability of the Separated Shear Layer From a Bluff Body
,”
Phys. Fluids
,
8
, No.
6
pp.
1347
1349
.
You do not currently have access to this content.