Figure 9.
Mechanical model of heart valve development. A finite element model of a heart valve was generated for every age group based on the lower half of a spheroid. Due to symmetry, only one leaflet was modeled, and frictionless contact was modeled by adding a contact surface with friction coefficient 0 between adjacent leaflets, parallel to the free edges (blue lines). Somatic changes were applied by adjusting the diastolic blood pressure and prescribing displacement boundary conditions on the annular nodes (red lines). Leaflet stretch and stress were investigated in the highlighted element in the center of the belly region. Volumetric growth was applied in the plane spanned by the circumferential and radial direction, and in the thickness direction, given by plane normal n0. A collagen fiber network was implemented in the model which was mainly oriented in the circumferential direction.