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Fluid dynamics is changing our world

A special magazine about the challenging world of fluid dynamics

Interactions between structures and fluids

Unraveling the turbulent heart

What do airplane wings, inkjet prints, and our hearts have in common? Answer: all are subject to interactions between structures and fluids, leading to a complex and non-linear system of dynamic interaction, influencing each other’s behavior. Numerical or computational simulation can help grasp the essence of the working mechanisms in these systems.

Fingers holding open human heart on white background

Take the blood flow in the heart for example. A complex geometry, with the myocardium2 that is actively deformed and arteries, veins, and valves that become passively deformed. This complex system determines the blood motion. The flow of the blood causes stress on surfaces and structures – like heart valve prostheses. Especially the left ventricle, which is the strong pump in our heart that transports the oxygen-rich blood through the entire body, has a lot to endure, possibly leading to cardiovascular problems in some cases.

Computational models that study these hemodynamics can be helpful in several ways. First, they provide an opportunity to test new technological solutions (like artificial heart valves ór new surgical
techniques), without expensive hardware models or animal testing. Furthermore, computer simulations provide an almost unlimited amount of hemodynamics data which would be impossible to obtain otherwise. Priceless information for research and development, but also very valuable for training purposes and to refine the diagnostic power of medical instruments. And who knows, in the future, this knowledge will help in the development of printing new heart valves.

“He who can describe how his heart is ablaze is burning on a bonfire”, the famous Italian poet Francesco Petrarca wrote in the fourteenth century. Fellow countryman Roberto Verzicco and his researchers are well on their way to unravel this complex blaze.

The myocard is the central part of the heart muscle, which lies between the epicardium (the outer layer of the heart wall) and the endocardium (the inner layer).

Roberto Verzicco

Italian researcher Roberto Verzicco is a full professor at the University of Rome Tor Vergata and part-time professor at the University of Twente in the group of Physics of Fluids. His work focuses on numerical simulation of complex flows and turbulence, amongst which thermally and shear-driven turbulence and biomedical flows.

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