A cellular scale numerical study of the effect of mechanical properties of erythrocytes on the near-wall motion of platelets

The effect of mechanical properties of erythrocytes on the near-wall motion of platelets was numerically studied with the immersed boundary method. Cells were modeled as viscous-fluid-filled capsules surrounded by hyper-elastic membranes with negligible thickness. The numerical results show that with the increase of hematocrit, the near-wall approaching of platelets is enhanced, with which platelets exhibit larger deformation and orientation angle of its near-wall tank-treading motion, and the lateral force pushing platelets to the wall is increased with larger fluctuation amplitude. Meanwhile the near-wall approaching is reduced by increasing the stiffness of erythrocytes.