A mathematical study of semilunar valve vibration.

A simple mathematical model to describe the valvular vibrations and their role in the production of the second heart sound is presented. The closed semilunar valve is considered as a vibrating stretched membrane secured around a circular edge. An exponential function is used to represent the actual pressure gradient across the closed valve, which is the force that drives the membrane to vibrate. The displacement and the rate of displacement of the centreline are calculated and are found to be similar to the experimental and numerical results given earlier in the literature by Stein and his co-workers.