Parallel unstructured multigrid simulation of 3D unsteady flows and fluid–structure interaction in mechanical heart valve using immersed membrane method

In this work, a second-order accurate immersed membrane method (IMM) is adopted to simulate the fluid–structure interaction phenomena in the mechanical heart valves (MHVs). The leaflets of the MHV are immersed in the fluid flows and move on top of the fixed fluid mesh. The blood flow is computed by a 3D parallel unstructured multigrid implicit finite-volume Navier–Stokes solver for incompressible flows. The opening and closing phases of a St. Jude 29 mm MHV are computed under pulsatile inflow to investigate the blood–leaflet interactions. The results show that the moment generated by the fluid pressure is the major cause for the valve motions, while the moment due to the fluid shear stresses is almost negligible. It is also observed that near the end of the opening phase the valve opening speed decelerates, so the valve leaflets have a cushioning effect and avoid a sudden impact on the hinges. For closing phase, jet flows are formed in the central channel and squeeze flows occur in the side channels near the fully closed positions.