Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) techniques are applied to study the flow characteristics of steady flow through arteries with stenoses. Effects of stenoses on characteristics such as pressure drops, flow velocities and shearing stresses on the arterial walls are examined and their significance on the progression of arterial diseases is discussed.

Three models are constructed, each introducing an improvement upon the previous. The first model developed is for steady laminar flow through an axisymmetric vessel with three stenoses in series. Although fairly simple, this model demonstrates the potential effectiveness and usefulness of such techniques. This model is also an extension of previous published work.

The second model improves on the first by considering a stenosis which is not symmetrical about the axis. As stenoses and arteries are, in general, not symmetrical, this model provides a method of studying a more realistic situation. The model is solved for various degrees of stenosis at Reynolds number ranging from 100 to 1000. Flow characteristics such as pressure drops, velocity profiles and shearing stresses on the walls are computed and compared with published results.

The third model incorporates curvature into the geometry and is thus an extension of and improvement over the second model. In this curved artery model, we investigate the effects of curvature on the flow of blood by considering three separate cases, namely, artery without stenoses, artery with stenosis on inner wall of curvature and artery with stenoses on both the inner and outer wall of the curvature. The model is solved for a number of different degrees of stenoses at Reynolds number ranging from 100 to 1200. Results of pressure drops and wall shearing stresses are computed and compared with published results. Secondary flow motion leading to a significant increase of secondary wall shear stress is also investigated.

Through the use of computational fluid dynamic techniques, this research has provided valuable data for the pressure drops and shearing stress distributions for an artery suffering from stenosis. In particular, the second and third models looked into modelling flows through arterial stenoses in three dimensions in a more realistic way, thus providing researchers in this area new insights into blood flow models. In addition, the long term application of this research is seen as a means of assisting cardiologists in understanding the progression of arterial diseases.