MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF 3D-PRINTED BLOOD VESSELS

Abstract

The demand for vascular substitutes in clinical practice has increased, and 3D-printed blood vessels could be advantageous alternatives. Determining the mechanical properties of 3D-printed blood vessels is important to further improve the technology and clinical application. Here, dogbone test samples with and without cells were generated by 3D printing with combined UV curing and hydrogel ion curing. Tensile tests were performed to measure the mechanical parameters of the dogbones and build two kinds of fluid–solid interaction models. In accordance with hydrodynamics and momentum theorems, the velocities in accelerated ejection period, ejection peak, reduced ejection period, and early diastolic period were selected as inlet velocities. Velocity distribution on the symmetry surface of the fluid and the stress and strain of the solid tube under different velocities were analyzed. Results reveal that the velocity decreases gradually from the fluid center to the wall. At a high inlet velocity, the fluid velocity is high, while the stress and strain of the wall increase. During cardiac ejection peak, the stress on the wall reaches the maximum value of 2018 Pa, which is much lower than the ultimate stress. In addition, the strength and stiffness decrease for the vessels added with cells. This work provides a feasible method for measuring the mechanical properties of 3D-printed blood vessels. Keywords: 3D printing, mechanical properties, fluid–solid interaction