Analysis of the Mechanical Properties of the Human Tympanic Membrane and Its Influence on the Dynamic Behaviour of the Human Hearing System

L. Caminos, J. Garcia-Manrique, A. Lima-Rodriguez, A. Gonzalez-Herrera

Keywords: fluid mechanics, fog collector, harp design, porous media, water collection efficiency

Abstract

The difficulty to estimate the mechanical properties of the tympanic membrane (TM) is a limitation to understand the sound transmission mechanism. In this paper, based on finite element calculations, the sensitivity of the human hearing system to these properties is evaluated. The parameters that define the bending stiffness properties of the membrane have been studied, specifically two key parameters: Young’s modulus of the tympanic membrane and the thickness of the eardrum. Additionally, it has been completed with the evaluation of the presence of an initial prestrain inside the TM. Modal analysis is used to study the qualitative characteristics of the TM comparing with vibration patterns obtained by holography. Higher-order modes are shown as a tool to identify these properties. The results show that different combinations of elastic properties and prestrain provide similar responses. The presence of prestrain at the membrane adds more uncertainty, and it is pointed out as a source for the lack of agreement of some previous TM elastic modulus estimations.

Más información

Título de la Revista: Applied Bionics and Biomechanics Materials & Interfases,
Volumen: 2018
Fecha de publicación: 2018
Página de inicio: 1
Página final: 12
Idioma: ingles
DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/1736957

Notas: Science Citation Index Expanded Scopus