Computational Modeling of Stent Failure During Crimping and Deployment in Coronary Arteries

- **Problem:** Crimping and deployment of stents involve severe finite strains, contact, strongly affecting failure and long-term performance. - **Method:** - 3D phase-field fracture framework for ductile failure - Coupled with finite-strain elastoplasticity (stent) - Anisotropic hyperelastic model for arterial wall (layered: intima, media, adventitia) - Implemented via UELs in Abaqus - **Model capabilities:** - Fully coupled stent–balloon–artery simulations - Captures crimp–hold–release–expansion sequence - Resolves contact, stress localization, and damage evolution - **Key findings:** - Fracture initiates already during crimping (not only deployment) - Damage progressively evolves during expansion - Leads to localized damage, residual stresses, and elastic recoil - **Design insight:** - Stent performance strongly depends on - geometry (open/closed-cell, strut thickness) - loading path - arterial anisotropy - **Contribution:** - Failure-aware computational framework under finite strains - Enables design optimization and safer deployment strategies - Open-access code for reproducibility and further research