Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Geometry And Material Properties Of Vocal Fold Models, Kimberly Ann Stevens

Theses and Dissertations

Voiced communication plays a fundamental role in society. Voice research seeks to improve understanding of the fundamental physics governing voice production, with the eventual goal of improving methods to diagnose and treat voice disorders. For this thesis, three different aspects of voice production research were studied. First, porcine vocal fold medial surface geometry was determined, and the three-dimensional geometric distortion induced by freezing the larynx, especially in the region of the vocal folds, was quantified. It was found that porcine vocal folds are qualitatively geometrically similar to canine and human vocal folds, as well as commonly used models, and that …