Finite element analysis of NiTi self-expandable heart valve stent.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation is a minimally invasive treatment for severe symptomatic aortic valve stenosis. Nitinol stents are proposed for aortic stenosis patients at high risk. In the present study, at different implantation depths in the aortic valve, the crimping and performance of Nitinol stents are investigated. To do so, a constitutive model based on Microplane theory is utilized and implemented through the finite element to express the constitutive characteristics of Nitinol. The self-expanding stent made of NiTi is designed and simulated using the finite element method. To validate the developed model, the obtained results using beam and solid finite element models are compared with those reported in the literature. Superelastic behavior as well as shape memory effect of the Nitinol stent is studied during crimping and deployment. The simulated results show that the produced radial force increases by increasing the implantation depth in a cardiac cycle.

Influence of crosslinking on the mechanical behavior of 3D printed alginate scaffolds: Experimental and numerical approaches.

Tissue scaffolds fabricated by three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting are attracting considerable attention for tissue engineering applications. Because the mechanical properties of hydrogel scaffolds should match the damaged tissue, changing various parameters during 3D bioprinting has been studied to manipulate the mechanical behavior of the resulting scaffolds. Crosslinking scaffolds using a cation solution (such as CaCl2) is also important for regulating the mechanical properties, but has not been well documented in the literature. Here, the effect of varied crosslinking agent volume and crosslinking time on the mechanical behavior of 3D bioplotted alginate scaffolds was evaluated using both experimental and numerical methods. Compression tests were used to measure the elastic modulus of each scaffold, then a finite element model was developed and a power model used to predict scaffold mechanical behavior. Results showed that crosslinking time and volume of crosslinker both play a decisive role in modulating the mechanical properties of 3D bioplotted scaffolds. Because mechanical properties of scaffolds can affect cell response, the findings of this study can be implemented to modulate the elastic modulus of scaffolds according to the intended application.