April 22, 2015
In this week's laboratory, as we went over our Creo Parametric design, we decided to change the inscribed 'square' design to an inscribed circular one because we realized that the square-like design will disrupt the 'normal' flow of blood from the heart to the valve. The human aortic heart valve is of a circular shape, which allows blood to flow normally. Think of it this way: pipes are circular because that is the best way in which everything flows, if they were more squared or cubic shape, more turbulence and unwanted backwards flow would occur. The same goes for our heart valves. Below is our original quad-flap design with the square perimeter.
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Angled-View of Original 'Square-like' Flap Design
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Front Facing View of Original 'Square-like' Design
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So, why did we change our design from that of a square to a circle? One word: turbulence. Turbulence and high shear stresses are major issues with heart valves, as they can fracture the valve housing or components, or induce blood damage. A large flow gradient can lead to these factors, so flow separation and stagnation should be as small as possible, which is why we changed it from a square to a circle. Below are the new, rounded flap designs and the base ring of the heart valve.
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| New, Rounded-Edge Flap Design |
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Base Ring Design of New, Rounded-Edge Flap Design
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