Novel Design of 3D-Printed One-way Valve Inspired by Biological Heart

The world of design nowadays is heavily inspired by nature, primarily due to its efficiency and effectiveness. This paper aims to be able to implement a well-established concept of heart valves into piping. A literature review of the medical study of valves and recent advancements in manufacturing synthetic valves paves a roadmap for this study. Using simple geometry to closely mimic mitral, aortic, and tetracuspid valves, and with the help of multi-material 3D printing, the biomimicry valve using the filament deposition method was successfully synthesized. Prior to destructive tests, printing results are not acceptable except for the tricuspid valve due to excessive overhangs. Compression testing results show that printing quality does not correlate to better compressive strength. The strength of the bicuspid valve shows the highest on average of 5.678 kN, followed by tetracuspid at 4.99 kN and tricuspid at 3.753 kN. A similar pattern can be concluded at displacement at failure of 1.85, 1.8033, and 1.374 mm respectively. Further investigation is needed to determine the hydrodynamical and mechanical performance of such valves. © 2024 American Institute of Physics Inc.. All rights reserved.