An experimental study of wave propagation in the latex rubber tube [arterial tree model]

Experimental results on wave propagation in the latex rubber tube are presented. According to the transmission line theory, wave propagation is described with the complex quantity `propagation coefficient´. Values of this quantity have been obtained starting from three simultaneous pressure measurements, performed at equidistant points. In order to test the effect of nonlinearities on propagation phenomena, two kinds of pressure signal have been examined: small-amplitude sinusoidal waves and large-amplitude (both periodic and aperiodic) impulses. The results support the hypothesis that nonlinearities play a relevant role in the propagation of sphygmic waves along the arterial tree