A Fluid Structure Interaction Model for the Red Blood Cell Mechanics

摘要

The mechanical properties of living cells have a key asset in their chemical and biological functions. In addition, it is known that alteration of the mechanical properties of the living cells, i.e., Red Blood Cell (RBC), can be correlated to a number of human diseases. The aim of this study was to present a Fluid Structure Interaction (FSI) model to predict the mechanics and deformation of the human RBC. In this study, a three dimensional geometry of the RBC was established using available experimental data. The predictions, including the elongations, deformations, the pressure distributions, and applied stresses were computed during loading. The results of the computational analysis was then compared to the available findings on the mechanical response of the cell from other experimental techniques. The proposed method is believed to be able to simply expect the deformation of the RBC in blood stream. The results may have implications not only for understanding the alteration of the mechanical properties of the RBCs in blood stream but also for investigating the hemodynamic changes of the RBCs in any kind of diseases.