Large scale simulation of pressure induced phase-field fracture propagation using Utopia.

Non-linear phase field models are increasingly used for the simulation of fracture propagation problems. The numerical simulation of fracture networks of realistic size requires the efficient parallel solution of large coupled non-linear systems. Although in principle efficient iterative multi-level methods for these types of problems are available, they are not widely used in practice due to the complexity of their parallel implementation.

Fully coupled dynamic simulations of bioprosthetic aortic valves based on an embedded strategy for fluid-structure interaction with contact.

Aims: This work aims at presenting a fully coupled approach for the numerical solution of contact problems between multiple elastic structures immersed in a fluid flow. The key features of the computational model are (i) a fully coupled fluid-structure interaction with contact, (ii) the use of a fibre-reinforced material for the leaflets, (iii) a stent, and (iv) a compliant aortic root.

Methods And Results: The computational model takes inspiration from the immersed boundary techniques and allows the numerical simulation of the blood-tissue interaction of bioprosthetic heart valves (BHVs) as well as the contact among the leaflets.