A non-dimensional analysis of cardiovascular function and thermoregulation

• Main Author: Starowicz, Sharon Ann
• Other Authors: Engineering Mechanics
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 2020
• Subjects: LD5655.V855 1986.S732; Cardiovascular system > Research; Temperature > Physiological effect
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10919/101150

The cardiovascular system plays a vital role in protecting the body from temperature extremes due to its unique ability to store, transport, and dissipate heat. A comprehensive study of the thermoregulatory aspects of the system is severely limited by its complexity and the interdependency of its many component variables. Before a formal study can be initiated, certain fundamental properties of the cardiovascular system must be established and the physical processes associated with heat and mass transport must first be understood. To this end, over six hundred variables relating to the system's heat transport characteristics were identified. The variables were grouped to form dimensionless quantities using the Buckingham Pi Theorem. Each dimensionless quantity, or parameter, is composed of definable physical quantities that reflect the interaction between various components of the system. From the analysis, a series of reference scales was identified and, in turn, used to facilitate the physical interpretation of each resulting parameter. As a result of this analysis, a working set of physical and experimental quantities was derived to identify significant heat and mass transport processes involved in cardiovascular thermoregulation and to establish the relative rate at which these processes occur. === M.S.