Finite element methods for a microstructure-based model of blood

Abstract

The goal of this thesis is to solve numerically the equations for viscoelastic fluid flow that arise from a model of human blood. The model accounts for the elastic stress acting on the flow using a microstructure variable which itself depends on the flow. The resulting coupling offers a challenging numerical problem which however is capable of reproducing experimental results. This work implements a general Finite Element Code for solving the equations of motion, stress and microstructure state. Our work sought to validate the numerical scheme in two geometries, coaxial cylinders and a flat channel, and to further explore the model under a pulsatile flow regime in a non-trivial geometry -- a dilated channel.