Measurement of Wall Shear Stress behind a Stenosis by the Electrochemical Method

Abstract

In the present paper, the wall shear stress in a pulsating flow through a two dimensional stenosed channel has been studied. In the experiment, the wall shear stress behind the stenosis is measured by the electrochemical method. The measurement is conducted at a Reynolds number of 160, a non-dimensional frequency of 3.40 and a flow amplitude of 0.3 The wall shear stress is numerically estimated by calculating the continuity equation and the vorticity transferred equation. In steady flow, the wall shear stress behind the stenosis is a maximum at the upstream region of the reattaching point. In pulsating flow, the time variation of the wall shear stress is a maximum at the reattaching point corresponding to the steady flow. Consequently, it is clarified that the deterioration of an arterial wall with a stenosis is remarkably accelerated near the reattaching point corresponding to the steady flow.