Title: Dynamic properties of human tympanic membrane – experimental measurement and modelling analysis

Authors: Xiangming Zhang, Rong Z. Gan

Addresses: School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering and OU Bioengineering Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA. ' School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering and OU Bioengineering Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA

Abstract: An experimental setup for dynamic testing of human tympanic membrane (TM) with the material testing system and laser Doppler vibrometry is reported in this paper. The experiment on TM specimen was simulated in finite element (FE) model using acoustic-structure coupled analysis. The generalised standard linear solid (Weichert) model was used as the constitutive law for the TM, and the dynamic properties of the TM was derived by inverse-problem solving method. The complex modulus in frequency-domain and the relaxation modulus in time-domain were obtained. The mean value of storage modulus of eight TM specimens was 54.34 at the frequency of 200 Hz and 65.54 MPa at 8,000 Hz, while the mean loss modulus was 1.92 at 200 Hz and 6.12 MPa at 8,000 Hz. These results were compared with the published data measured with the miniature split Hopkinson tension bar. The methods and data reported here contribute to the field of soft tissue biomechanics in both experimental measurement and theoretical analysis of ear.

Keywords: human tympanic membrane; dynamic properties; laser Doppler vibrometry; LDV; complex modulus; finite element method; FEM; modelling; materials testing; soft tissue biomechanics; ear analysis; acoustic-structure coupled analysis.

DOI: 10.1504/IJECB.2010.035260

International Journal of Experimental and Computational Biomechanics, 2010 Vol.1 No.3, pp.252 - 270

Published online: 18 Sep 2010 *

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