Non-symmetrical wave propagation in arteries

Abstract

Blood flow in an artery is modelled by assuming the blood to be an inviscid fluid and the artery to be an isotropic, homogeneous, incompressible thick elastic tube subjected to large initial pressure and stretch. Using cylindrical polar coordinates, the equations for small time-dependent motion superimposed on this initial stress are obtained. A power series solution is obtained when the strain energy density function is of exponential form for harmonic non symmetric waves. The dispersion relation is obtained and analysed for the simplified case of a thin tube. Numerical results are presented in graphical form.