Computational Modelling Group

Centre for Doctoral Training in Next Generation Computational Modelling

Hans Fangohr, Ian Hawke, Peter Horak (Investigators), Susanne Ufermann Fangohr, Thorsten Wittemeier, Kieran Selvon, Alvaro Perez-Diaz, David Lusher, Ashley Setter, Emanuele Zappia, Hossam Ragheb, Ryan Pepper, Stephen Gow, Jan Kamenik, Paul Chambers, Robert Entwistle, Rory Brown, Joshua Greenhalgh, James Harrison, Jonathon Waters, Ioannis Begleris, Craig Rafter

The £10million Centre for Doctoral Training was launched in November 2013 and is jointly funded by EPSRC, the University of Southampton, and its partners.

The NGCM brings together world-class simulation modelling research activities from across the University of Southampton and hosts a 4-year doctoral training programme that is the first of its kind in the UK.

Coronary Artery Stent Design for Challenging Disease

Neil Bressloff (Investigator), Georgios Ragkousis

In this work, a method has been setup to (i) reconstruct diseased patient specific coronary artery segments; (ii) use the new supercomputer to run many simulations of this complex problem and (iii) assess the degree of stent malapposition. The aim now is to devise a stent delivery system that can mitigate this problem

Coupled Fluid-Structure Interaction to model Three-Dimensional Dynamic Behaviour of Ships in Waves

Pandeli Temarel, Zhi-Min Chen (Investigators), Puram Lakshmynarayanana

In the present study we focus our attention on fluid-structure interactions (FSI) of flexible marine structures in waves by coupling a fluid solver using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and a structural solver using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software.

Life assessment methods for industrial steam turbine blade to disc interfaces

Katherine Soady (Investigator)

This is an EngD project sponsored by E.ON New Build and Technology Ltd. which aims to develop the methods currently implemented in life assessment of industrial steam turbine blade to disc interfaces to take account of the surface treatment process (shot peening) which is applied to component before service and after repair.

Microstructural modeling of skin mechanics

Georges Limbert (Investigator), Emanuele Zappia

Microstructural modeling of skin mechanics to gain a mechanistic insight into the biomechanics of the skin.

Modelling neuronal activity at the knee joint

Mark Taylor, Tiina Roose (Investigators), Gwen Palmer

The function of the knee joint is reliant on proprioception, which involves the response of nerve endings in the tissues at the joint. This project will be concentrating on the neuronal activity, caused by mechanical stimuli, of the more common receptors found at the knee (Ruffini, Paciniform, Golgi and Nociceptor).

There are three stages to this project:
1. Modelling the behaviour of each individual receptor, with the use of the Hodgkin-Huxley model [1].
2. These models will then be applied to the soft tissues around a knee, where a global deformation of the tissue will result in local stimulation of receptors.
3. The soft tissue models will then be applied to structures in the knee.

[1] - Hodgkin, A.L. and A.F. Huxley, A quantitative description of membrane current and its application to conduction and excitation in nerve. Journal of Physiology, 1952. 117: p. 500-544.

Multi-objective design optimisation of coronary stents

Neil Bressloff, Georges Limbert (Investigators), Sanjay Pant

Stents are tubular type scaffolds that are deployed (using an inflatable balloon on a catheter), most commonly to recover the shape of narrowed (diseased) arterial segments. Despite the widespread clinical use of stents in cardiovascular intervention, the presence of such devices can cause adverse responses leading to fatality or to the need for further treatment. The most common unwanted responses of inflammation are in-stent restenosis and thrombosis. Such adverse biological responses in a stented artery are influenced by many factors, including the design of the stent. This project aims at using multi-objective optimisation techniques to find an optimum family of coronary stents which are more resistant to the processes of in-stent restenosis (IR) and stent thrombosis (ST).

Respiratory mask modeling

Jacques Ernes

Abaqus modelling of repiratory masks, bioengineering, Health sciences

Statistical model of the knee

Mark Taylor (Investigator), Francis Galloway, Prasanth Nair

Development of methods for large scale computational testing of a tibial tray incorporating inter-patient variability.