New Trends in Fluid Mechanics Research

Planar digital Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements were performed in a scaled model of a tuning fork shaped average human carotid artery (TF-AHCA) bifurcation. A water-glycerin mixture was used to simulate in-vivo flow conditions of Re=290 and Re=700 and to match the refractive index of the flow phantom. Results in the plane of bifurcation show a region of low momentum fluid at the outer wall of the carotid sinus that increases with increasing Reynolds number and decreasing flow divison ratio. Due to the additional curvature of the internal carotid artery strong secondary flows are introduced. The flow inside the sinus and downstream assumes a heliocoidal trajectory that increases with increasing upstream Reynolds number.