Current Aortic Valve (AV) computational structural models do not explicitly account for the layered leaflet microstructure, i.e. collagen fibers and elastin matrix. Homogenized anisotropic hyperelastic material models are commonly used for the effective mechanical behavior of the leaflets. The later are difficult to calibrate and often unstable in structural simulations. In this study, we introduce a new heterogeneous material micromodeling approach for the porcine leaflet tissue that explicitly recognizes the collagen fiber network (CFN) distribution and integrate it with the elastin matrix into the global structural analysis of the AV system. The proposed multiscale (heterogeneous) material and structural (MMS) models are verified in their ability to predict the overall AV structural response from in-vitro pulsatile and static loops. Sophisticated imagery measurements are used to examine the kinematics and deformations of the leaflets. The proposed MMS framework is computationally effective in predicting the overall mechanical behavior of the AV structure.

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