Mechanical properties of stenosed coronary arterial walls with slip velocity

In the present manuscript, a detailed exploration of the non-Newtonian blood flow along an elastic, stenosed branched coronary artery is undertaken. The study involves the coupling of the laminar flow model with the solid mechanics model to achieve the fluid–structure interaction through the arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian approach. The characteristics of fluid flow, including velocity, pressure, and wall shear stress are examined in relation to the elastic properties of the arterial wall. The changes in several biomechanical parameters, such as principal strain, solid velocity, deformation gradient, Cauchy–Green stress tensor, and Von Mises stress along the intima layer, highlight areas vulnerable to endothelial dysfunction. The upper branch of the bifurcation is observed to carry only around 10% of the total blood flow, resulting in the formation of recirculation zones at the junction where oscillatory shear stress is elevated. Flow separation is noticed at the point on the junction wall opposite the stream experiencing an increased pressure of 1.79% of that of the neighborhood. The wall displacement profiles indicate a 37.5% rise along the lower wall with a decrease at the throat of the stenosis and a decreasing profile along the downstream. The peak Von Mises stress is reached at the stenosis inlet, and the outlet along the branches experiences relatively low Von Mises stress values. The results suggest that the pre-stenotic region along the upstream is more susceptible to undergoing endothelial dysfunction across the lower and upper arterial walls with the lower wall confining higher probability.