Computational Mechanics and the numerical analysis of the structural behaviour are becoming a more and more fundamental tool for the engineering design process in many different fields. This is particularly true in Biomechanics, nowadays widely recognized as a fundamental research field, where reliable analyses of structures and fluids (and of their interactions) are often needed on complex geometries described by tools of Computational Geometry. Isogeometric Analysis (IGA) is a recent (2005) idea proposed to bridge the gap between Computational Mechanics and Computer Aided Design (CAD).
The key feature of IGA is to extend the Finite Element Method (FEM) representing geometry by functions, such as Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines (NURBS), which are used by CAD systems, and then invoking the iso-parametric concept to define field variables. Thus, the computational domain exactly reproduces the CAD description of the physical domain.
Moreover, numerical testing in different situations shows that IGA holds great promises, with a substantial increase in the accuracy-to-computational-effort ratio with respect to standard FEM, also thanks to the high regularity properties of the employed functions. The fact that IGA is very accurate and with a great potential for better integrating analysis with geometry makes it particularly suitable for the simulation of Biomechanics systems, where the approximation of complicate morphologies is a key issue to go along with the reliability of the numerical results.
Therefore, the objective of ISOBIO is to construct an analysis tool, based on the peculiar features of IGA, to perform simulations of complex biomechanical systems (such as arteries, stents, aortic valves, etc.) which can be successfully used for biomedical device design as well as in clinical decision process.
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