Development of a numerical tool for the optimisation of vascular prosthesis towards physiological compliance

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 140-147).It has been proposed that if a vascular prosthesis is to more closely approximate the mechanical behaviour of a native vessel, it should similarly feature a multi-component structure. One of the components could be a metal support structure, similar to an endovascular stent. The objective of the project was to develop a numerical tool, using the Finite Element Method (FEM) to aid in the development and optimization of such a metallic support structure. This tool was used to simulate the behaviour of different designs under the simulated in vivo conditions. The numerical results of the predicted mechanical behaviour are then analysed