Higher order mesh curving using geometry curvature extrapolation

A higher order mesh curving method is developed which uses information from the geometry to determine the appropriate curvature of edges in the interior of the mesh. Edges are represented using four point Bézier curves to determine the positions of higher order edge points. Higher order face and volume points are positioned using the basis functions for serendipity face and volume elements. Parameters are defined which allow user specified control over element quality and the propagation of curvature in the mesh. Curved higher order meshes are shown for test cases in both two and three dimensions

2-D CFD design of the cross-sectional shape of arterial stents

An approach for desigining arterial stents to maximize wall shear stress is presented. A cost equation to maximize wall shear stress is derived and then inverted into a minimization problem for the optimizer. A 2-D mixed-element finite-volume scheme for solving the compressible Navier-Stokes equations is implemented. A paramaterization of the cross- sectional shape of the stent wire using Hicks-Henne functions is described. The strategies used in the commercial optimization software, DAKOTA, to minimize the cost equation are described. The solver is validated using well known fluid flow test cases and is shown to match other published computed results for bloodflow through stented arteries. New candidate stent shapes are produced by the optimization and are evaluated based on comparison to modern commercial stent designs