Analysis of the mechanical performance of a cardiovascular stent design based on micromechanical modelling

Stents are very commonly used in the treatment of coronary heart disease. They are permanent vascular support structures that offer a preferred alternative to bypass surgery in certain situations. The purpose of this work is to examine the mechanical behaviour of a stainless steel balloon expandable stent design using computational micromechanics in the context of the finite element method. Deployment and cardiac pulsing loading conditions are considered. Classical phenomenological plasticity theory (J₂ flow theory) and physically based crystal plasticity theory are used to describe the stent material behaviour. Parametric studies are carried out using both constitutive theories with a view to determining important stent deployment characteristics such as recoil and foreshortening. Comparisons of the results obtained using both theories illustrate differences, with the crystal plasticity theory models showing closer agreement to published performance data. The implications of this for stent design are discussed.