Computational modelling of cardiac mechanics - Efficient simulation of a heartbeat

Abstract

In this thesis we will study the mathematical models for the mechanical behaviour of the heart. We will derive the non-linear partial differential equations involving the deformation of the cardiac tissue. Models for the different phases of the cardiac cycle will be studied and developed. The cardiac cycle will be simulated both for an incompressible and a compressible material model. A review of the underlying physiology and the theory of continuum mechanics is also conducted.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate how to speed up the computations for the complex non-linear mechanics of the heartbeat. This will be studied by testing different solvers and different parameters for the form compiler within the finite element framework FEniCS. The model will be run in parallel in order to see the benefit of running the code on multiple cores. The solver will also be verified by different verification methods.