Numerical Methods and Modelling Methodologies in Computational Biomechanics

Book excerpt: This book provides a description of the use of engineering simulation methods in a clear, direct and concise way, containing several relevant examples of biomechanics and biological processes analyzed with different numerical methods. It is oriented towards undergraduate and graduate students, academics, professionals, technicians and to all those interested in the use of simulation in computational biomechanics. The book begins with a review of the concepts of solid and fluid mechanics, followed by a description of engineering approximation methods such as the Finite Volume Method, the Finite Element Method and the Boundary Element Method. Then, several applications that usually appear in biomechanics modeling are presented and discussed, from the simulation of osseointegration to the simulation of lung airflow and the modeling of biological processes in intervertebral discs and mechanobiology. The book can be used as an educational tool in undergraduate courses and in introductory courses in graduate biology, medicine and engineering.