• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.8
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• pp.1118-1124
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• 2006

Recently, cavitation on the surface of mechanical heart valve has been studied as a cause of fractures occurring in implanted Mechanical Heart Valves (MHVs). It has been conceived that the MHVs mounted in an artificial heart close much faster than in vivo sue, resulting in cavitation bubbles formation. In this study, six different kinds of mono leaflet and bileaflet valves were mounted in the mitral position in an Electro-Hydraulic Total Artificial Heart (EHTAH), and we investigated the mechanisms for MHV cavitation. The valve closing velocity and a high speed video camera were employed to investigate the mechanism for MHV cavitation. The closing velocity of the bileaflet valves was slower than that of the mono leaflet valves. Cavitation bubbles were concentrated on the edge of the valve stop and along the leaflet tip. It was established that squeeze flow holds the key to MHV cavitation in our study. Cavitation intensity increased with an increase in the valve closing velocity and the valve stop area. With regard to squeeze flow, the bileaflet valve with slow valve-closing velocity and small valve stop areas is better able to prevent blood cell damage than the monoleaflet valves.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.1761-1772
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• 2005

In blood flow passing through the mechanical heart valve (MHV) and elastic blood vessel, hemolysis and platelet activation causing thrombus formation can be seen owing to the shear stress in the blood. Also, fracture and deformation of leaflets can be observed depending on the shape and material properties of the leaflets which is opened and closed in a cycle. Hence, comprehensive study is needed on the hemodynamics which is associated with the motion of leaflet and elastic blood vessel in terms of fluid-structure interaction. In this paper, a numerical analysis has been performed for a three-dimensional pulsatile blood flow associated with the elastic blood vessel and curved bileaflet for multiple cycles in light of fluid-structure interaction. From this analysis fluttering phenomenon and rebound of the leaflet have been observed and recirculation and regurgitation have been found in the flow fields of the blood. Also, the pressure distribution and the radial displacement of the elastic blood vessel have been obtained. The motion of the leaflet and flow fields of the blood have shown similar tendency compared with the previous experiments carried out in other studies. The present study can contribute to the design methodology for the curved bileaflet mechanical heart valve. Furthermore, the proposed fluid-structure interaction method will be effectively used in various fields where the interaction between fluid flow and structure are involved.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Visualization
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.47-55
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• 2006

The left ventricular filling flow is now considered as an indicator which can be used for early diagnosing of cardiovascular diseases. Because the understanding of left ventricular flow physics is critical for this purpose, the downstream flow characteristics of the artificial heart valve are investigated using particle image velocimetry (PIV) method. In this study, we investigated the wake characteristics of flows passing through three different artificial valves (St.Jude medical bileaflet mechanical valve. Bjork-Shiley monostrut mechanical valve and St.Jude medical Biocor bio valve). The downstream flow field has remarkably altered according to the different valves. SJM MHV has the flow field similar to the pulsating circular jet and BS MHV has oblique pulsating jet. SJM BHV shows the similar flow field of clinical data of normal heart.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2001.04a
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• pp.643-646
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• 2001

This paper investigates the structural analysis and design of mechanical heart valve through the numerical analysis methodology. In a numerical analysis methodology application to the thickness minimization structural design of mechanical heart valve, structural analysis is performed for the blood flow through a bileaflet mechanical heart valve. The structural static analysis is carried out to confirm the thickness minimization structural condition (minimum thickness shape of leaflet).

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.1316-1323
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• 2003

This paper presents a structural analysis on the rigid and deformed motion of the leaflet induced by the blood flow required in the design of a bileaflet mechanical heart valve (MHV) prosthesis. In the study on the design and the mechanical characteristics of a bileaflet mechanical heart valve, the fluid mechanics analysis on the blood flow passing through leaflets, the kinetodynamics analysis on the rigid body motion of the leaflet induced by the pulsatile blood flow, and the structural mechanics analysis on the deformed motion of the leaflet are required sequentially and simultaneously. Fluid forces computed in the previous hemodynamics analysis on the blood flow are used in the kinetodynamics analysis on the rigid body motion of the leaflet. Thereafter, the structural mechanics analysis on the deformed motion of the leaflet follows to predict the structural strength variation of the leaflet as the leaflet thickness changes. Analysis results show that structural deformations and stresses increase as the fluid pressure increases and the leaflet thickness decreases. Analysis results also show that the leaflet becomes structurally weaker and weaker as the leaflet thickness becomes smaller than 0.6 mm.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.22 no.3 s.168
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• pp.154-161
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• 2005

In this study, the leaflet motion of a mechanical heart valve and the characteristics of two-dimensional transient blood flow in an elastic blood vessel have been numerically investigated by using fluid-structure interaction method. Here, blood has been assumed as a Newtonian, incompressible fluid. Pressure profiles have been used as boundary conditions at the ventricle and the aorta. As a result, closing motion of the leaflet is faster than opening one. While opening angles of leaflet grow up, vortex is detected at the sinus and backward of the leaflets. When the leaflet is fully closed, vortex is detected at the ventricle and at that moment maximum displacement of the elastic blood vessel is observed in the vicinity of the sinus region. Maximum displacement is caused in association with the blood flow that is oriented toward the elastic blood vessel.

• 한국전산유체공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.203-206
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• 2004

In this study, a numerical analysis has been performed for a three-dimensional pulsatile blood flow associated with the elastic blood vessel and curved bileaflet for multiple cycles in terms of fluid-structure interaction. Here, blood has been assumed as a Newtonian, incompressible fluid. Pressure profiles have been used as boundary conditions at the ventricle and the aorta. From this analysis, the motion of the leaflet has been observed with fluttering phenomenon and rebound, and the flow fields of blood have been obtained with recirculation and regurgitation. The results can contribute to the development of design methodology for the curved bileaflet mechanical heart valve.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.185-186
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• 2008

• Korean Journal of Computational Design and Engineering
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.59-68
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• 2001

This paper investigates the structural analysis and design of mechanical heart valve through the numerical analysis methodology. In a numerical analysis methodology application to the thickness minimization structural design of mechanical heart valve, fluid analysis is performed for the blood flow through a bileaflet mechanical heart valve. Simultaneously the kinetodynamic analysis is carried out to obtain the appropriate structural condition for the structural analysis. Thereafter the structural static analysis is also carried out to confirm the thickness minimization structural condition(minimum thickness shape of leaflet).

• International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.5-12
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• 2003

This paper discusses about the thickness effects on the structural durability of a bileaflet mechanical heart valve (MHV). In the study on the design and the mechanical characteristics of a bileaflet mechanical heart valve, the fluid mechanics analysis on the blood flow passing through leaflets, the kinetodynamics analysis on the rigid body motion of the leaflet induced by the pulsatile blood flow, and the structural mechanics analysis for the deformed leaflet are required sequentially and simultaneously. Fluid forces computed in the fluid mechanics analysis on the blood flow are used in the kinetodynamics analysis for the leaflet motion. Thereafter, the structural mechanics analysis for the deformed leaflet follows to predict the structural strength variation of the leaflet as the leaflet thickness changes. Analysis results show that structural deformations and stresses increase as the fluid pressure increases and the leaflet thickness decreases. Analysis results also show that the leaflet becomes structurally weaker and weaker as the leaflet becomes thinner and thinner.