| Summary: | During phonation, the vocal folds collision during the glottal closure is considered to be a risk factor for pathological development. This thesis is aimed at designing a dependable finite element analysis (FEA) model of the vocal folds for frequency and dynamic analysis and for calculating the impact stress between the vocal folds during glottal closure. A three-dimensional model with irregular geometry and a layered structure was designed. The measured viscoelastic properties of the vocal-fold mucosa and the transverse isotropic elastic properties of the vocal fold muscle are applied to the model. The boundary conditions are assumed to be fixed on lateral, anterior and posterior surfaces based on anatomical structure analysis. This model is symmetrical about the right and left vocal folds.The frequency and dynamic characters are presented using the software ABAQUS. The FEA model is validated by both experimental modal analysis (EMA) model results and in-vivo experimental results from the literature.In the vibration analysis, the eigenfrequency and eigenmode of the FEA model are determined. The model results compare well with the experiments performed on a silicone vocal fold model. The eigenmodes show the vibration direction at different excitation frequencies. In the closure process, the closure and collision dynamic results are obtained. The results show that: (1) the closure process is independent of the subglottal pressure; (2) the glottal opening amplitude and closing velocity vary approximately linear with the subglottal pressure; (3) the maximum impact stress occurs on the mid area of the inferior surfaces; (4) the impact stress is approximately linear with the subglottal pressure; and (5) the impact stress will cause vocal fold tissue damage when the subglottal pressure is over 800 Pa.It is anticipated that the model will help to identify voice disorders such as vocal-fold paralysis and vocal-fold nodules.
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