2023/09/28
Viscoelastic characterization of arterial simulator materials
Gil Yanez, C. (2023). Viscoelastic characterization of arterial simulator materials. Thesis.
In recent years, the development of human cardiovascular tissue simulators has been of great relevance for the biomedical field to improve catheterization methods and cardiovascular devices. There are a number of materials that can resemble the viscoelastic behavior of human coronary artery tissue. In this work, an experimental assessment and benchmarking of a novel composite 3D printed material whose viscoelastic properties can be varied was done as well as a comparison with one of the most used materials in phantom development, cryogenized polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Furthermore, to observe the results and behavior of the simulator materials and the accuracy of their mechanical properties in comparison to real cardiovascular tissue, a sensitivity analysis was performed by varying different values for the critical parameters, and a quasi-linear viscosity theory was applied to compare the viscoelastic behavior with that of cardiovascular tissue.