Computational modeling of progressive damage and rupture in fibrous biological tissues: application to aortic dissection

2019-5-15
Gültekin, Osman
Hager, Sandra Priska
Dal, Hüsnü
Holzapfel, Gerhard A.
This study analyzes the lethal clinical condition of aortic dissections from a numerical point of view. On the basis of previous contributions by Gultekin et al. (Comput Methods Appl Mech Eng 312:542-566, 2016 and 331:23-52, 2018), we apply a holistic geometrical approach to fracture, namely the crack phase-field, which inherits the intrinsic features of gradient damage and variational fracture mechanics. The continuum framework captures anisotropy, is thermodynamically consistent and is based on finite strains. The balance of linear momentum and the crack evolution equation govern the coupled mechanical and phase-field problem. The solution scheme features the robust one-pass operator-splitting algorithm upon temporal and spatial discretizations. Based on experimental data of diseased human thoracic aortic samples, the elastic material parameters are identified followed by a sensitivity analysis of the anisotropic phase-field model. Finally, we simulate an incipient propagation of an aortic dissection within a multi-layered segment of a thoracic aorta that involves a prescribed initial tear. The finite element results demonstrate a severe damage zone around the initial tear and exhibit a rather helical crack pattern, which aligns with the fiber orientation. It is hoped that the current contribution can provide some directions for further investigations of this disease.
Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology

Suggestions

Numerical aspects of anisotropic failure in soft biological tissues favor energy-based criteria: A rate-dependent anisotropic crack phase-field model
Gueltekin, Osman; Dal, Hüsnü; Holzapfel, Gerhard A. (2018-04-01)
A deeper understanding to predict fracture in soft biological tissues is of crucial importance to better guide and improve medical monitoring, planning of surgical interventions and risk assessment of diseases such as aortic dissection, aneurysms, atherosclerosis and tears in tendons and ligaments. In our previous contribution (Gultekin et al., 2016) we have addressed the rupture of aortic tissue by applying a holistic geometrical approach to fracture, namely the crack phase-field approach emanating from va...
Phase-field approach to model fracture in human aorta
Gültekin, Osman; Holzapfel, Gerhard A.; Dal, Hüsnü (null; 2019-08-23)
Over the last decades the supra-physiological and pathological aspects of arterial tissues have become a prominent research topic in computational biomechanics in terms of constitutive modeling considering damage and fracture [1]. The current study presents a variational approach to the fracture of human arterial walls, featuring a thermodynamically consistent, gradient-type, diffusive crack phase-field approach. A power balance renders the Euler-Lagrange equations of the multi-field problem, i.e. the defor...
CRACK PHASE-FIELD MODELING OF ANISOTROPIC RUPTURE IN FIBROUS SOFT TISSUES
GUELTEKIN, O.; Dal, Hüsnü; HOLZAPFEL, G. A. (2017-09-07)
The estimation of rupture in fibrous soft tissues has emerged as a central task in medical monitoring and risk assessment of diseases such as aortic dissection and aneurysms. In an attempt to address the challenges we have established a computational framework within the context of crack phase-field modeling and proposed an energy-based anisotropic failure criterion based on the distinction of isotropic and anisotropic material responses. Numerically we compare that criterion with other anisotropic failure ...
Forward problem solution for electrical conductivity imaging via contactless measurements
Gençer, Nevzat Güneri (IOP Publishing, 1999-04-01)
The forward problem of anew medical imaging system is analysed in this study. This system uses magnetic excitation to induce currents inside a conductive body and measures the magnetic fields of the induced currents. The forward problem, that is determining induced currents in the conductive body and their magnetic fields, is formulated. For a general solution of the forward problem, the finite element method (FEM) is employed to evaluate the scalar potential distribution. Thus, inhomogeneity and anisotropy...
An Intelligent Clinical Decision Support System for Analyzing Neuromusculoskeletal Disorders
Sen Koektas, Nigar; Yalabik, Nese; Yavuzer, Gunes (2008-06-01)
This study presents a clinical decision support system for detecting and further analyzing neuromusculoskeletal disorders using both clinical and gait data. The system is composed of a database storing disease characteristics, symptoms and gait data of the subjects, a combined pattern classifier that processes the data and user friendly interfaces. Data is mainly obtained through Computerized Gait Analysis, which can be defined as numerical representation of the mechanical measurements of human walking patt...
Citation Formats
O. Gültekin, S. P. Hager, H. Dal, and G. A. Holzapfel, “Computational modeling of progressive damage and rupture in fibrous biological tissues: application to aortic dissection,” Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology, pp. 1607–1628, 2019, Accessed: 00, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://hdl.handle.net/11511/28482.