Three dimensional fluid-structure interaction under pulsatile flow by using distributed Lagrange multiplier method

In this article we discuss an application of a Lagrange multiplier based fictitious domain method for the simulation of moving leaflets in an unsteady flow generated by pressure gradients during the systolic phase of the cardiac cycle in three dimensional geometry. The mathematical model includes the Navier-Stokes equations coupled with the Euler-Newton equations describing fluid-structure interaction for the generalized Neumann boundary conditions on upstream and downstream boundaries. The solution method includes the finite element method combined with an operator-splitting scheme, where the fictitious formulation allows the flow calculations to be in a fixed rectangular parallelepiped to predict the dynamic structural positions and flow field during the valve opening and closing phases. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.