Engineering Physics Mechanical Option

Heart valves, which serve to regulate blood flow direction within the circulatory sys-tem’s central pump, are a prime example of the principles of biofluid mechanics. In particular, the design of prosthetic heart valves is a complex and interesting problem. This report gives an introduction to heart valve anatomy and pathology, reviews some typical prosthetic valve designs, investigates some mathematical models of me-chanical valve hydrodynamics, and discusses a flow loop which could be used to measure valve hydrodynamics. The report concludes that the prosthetic heart valve industry is destined to con-tinue to inspire future innovations similar in importance to the milestones of the last half century, as heart valves are a vital aspect of cardiovascular health and valve diseases are increasingly common in modern society. This document was created with LATEX. i