Vocal fold stiffness measurement by indentation
Currently there is no reliable in-vivo method to quantify vocal fold stiffness, due to both the inaccessibility and the highly complex material properties of the vocal folds. This study aimed to develop a consistent and reliable method for stiffness measurement of the multi-layer vocal fold tissue. Such method would allow us to identify and develop replacement vocal fold tissue with the correct material properties.
As a first step, the indentation method is used for stiffness measurement and the sensitivity of this method to experimental parameters is investigated. Indentation tests were performed on silicon rubber models of the vocal folds with known geometric and material properties. Using a range of cylindrical indenters the tests were repeated for different indentation depths and boundary conditions. The results showed that while indentation on single-layer vocal fold models yielded Young's modulus with acceptable accuracy, on two-layer vocal fold models the stiffness estimation was significantly influenced by factors such as indenter diameter, indentation depth, model geometry and boundary conditions.
Chhetri, D.K., Zhang, Z., Neubauer, J. (2011). Measurement of Young's modulus of vocal folds by indentation, Journal of Voice, 25(1), 1-7. [pdf]
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