ACOUSTIC-STRUCTURAL COUPLED FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS FOR SOUND TRANSMISSION IN HUMAN EAR - MIDDLE EAR TRANSFER FUNCTION

摘要

A 3-D finite element (FE) model of human ear with accurate geometry of the ear canal and middle ear has been recently published by our group. In this paper, the acoustic-structure-acoustic coupled FE analysis was conducted to the model for normal and pathological ears such as the tympanic membrane (TM) perforations. Two laser vibrometers were used to measure simultaneously the TM and stapes footplate vibrations. The transfer function of the middle ear under normal and perforation conditions from the model show frequency-dependent behavior similar to that measured from temporal bones. The FE model provides good prediction on effect of perforation location and size on middle ear transfer function.