Finite Element Model of Human Cochlea Considering of the Helicotrema Size

2013 ◽  
Vol 456 ◽  
pp. 576-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Fu Xu ◽  
Na Ta ◽  
Zhu Shi Rao ◽  
Jia Bin Tian

A 2-D finite element model of human cochlea is established in this paper. This model includes the structure of oval window, round window, basilar membrane and cochlear duct which is filled with fluid. The basilar membrane responses are calculated with sound input on the oval window membrane. In order to study the effects of helicotrema on basilar membrane response, three different helicotrema dimensions are set up in the FE model. A two-way fluid-structure interaction numerical method is used to compute the responses in the cochlea. The influence of the helicotrema is acquired and the frequency selectivity of the basilar membrane motion along the cochlear duct is predicted. These results agree with the experiments and indicate much better results are obtained with appropriate helicotrema size.

Micromachines ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 782 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liu ◽  
Zhao ◽  
Yang ◽  
Rao

To overcome the inherent deficiencies of hearing aids, implantable middle ear hearing devices (IMEHDs) have emerged as a new treatment for hearing loss. However, clinical results show that the IMEHD performance varies with its transducer’s stimulating site. To numerically analyze the influence of the piezoelectric transducer’s stimulating sites on its hearing compensation performance, we constructed a human ear finite element model and confirmed its validity. Based on this finite element model, the displacement stimulation, which simulates the piezoelectric transducer’s stimulation, was applied to the umbo, the incus long process, the incus body, the stapes, and the round window membrane, respectively. Then, the stimulating site’s effect of the piezoelectric transducer was analyzed by comparing the corresponding displacements of the basilar membrane. Besides, the stimulating site’s sensitivity to the direction of excitation was also studied. The result of the finite element analysis shows that stimulating the incus body is least efficient for the piezoelectric transducer. Meanwhile, stimulating the round window membrane or the stapes generates a higher basilar membrane displacement than stimulating the eardrum or the incus long process. However, the performance of these two ideal sites’ stimulation is sensitive to the changes in the excitation’s direction. Thus, the round window membrane and the stapes is the ideal stimulating sites for the piezoelectric transducer regarding the driving efficiency. The direction of the excitation should be guaranteed for these ideal sites.


2013 ◽  
Vol 589-590 ◽  
pp. 157-162
Author(s):  
Ya Hui Hu ◽  
Qing Yun Zhang ◽  
Xiao Yu Yue

The changes of drilling forces during bone drilling provide a useful index for evaluating the risk of potential damage to the bone. The aim of the work is that an elastic-plastic dynamic finite element model is used to simulate the process of a drill bit drilling through the bone. The finite element model was set up in the Abaqus6.11; the prediction model of the drilling force was gotten by using the regression orthogonal experiment and data processing software Matlab7.0. Diverse values of drilling speed, feed rate and drill diameter are important factors which will lead to changes in the drilling forces. By controlling the drilling parameters can obtain the optimal drilling force. The results show that the diameter has the greatest influence on the drilling force, the drilling speed the second, the feed rate the last.


Author(s):  
Babak Ebrahimi ◽  
Amir Khajepour ◽  
Todd Deaville

This paper discusses the modeling and analysis of a novel audio subwoofer system for automotive applications using the automobile windshield glass. The use of a piezo-electric actuator coupled with a mechanical amplifier linked to a large glass panel provides a highly efficient method of producing sound. The proposed subwoofer system has the advantage over existing conventional systems of not only reducing the weight of the automobile, but also a significant power savings resulting in an increase of expected fuel economy. Among various design challenges, the glass-sealing design is of huge importance, as it affects the system dynamic response and so the output sound characteristics. The main goal in this manuscript is to evaluate different glass-sealing design configurations by providing a comprehensive Finite Element model of the system. To do so, a comprehensive, yet simplified FE model is developed, and experimental studies are performed in the component level to fine-tune and verify the model. Harmonic response of the system for each sealing configuration design is obtained in the frequency range of 0–200 Hz, and the results are compared and discussed. The finite element model is also beneficial in preliminary design of other components as well as the exciter placement, and predicting the performance of the overall system.


Author(s):  
Houguang Liu ◽  
Hu Zhang ◽  
Jianhua Yang ◽  
Xinsheng Huang ◽  
Wen Liu ◽  
...  

As a novel application of implantable middle ear hearing device, round-window stimulation is widely used to treat hearing loss with middle ear disease, such as ossicular chain malformation. To evaluate the influence of ossicular chain malformations on the efficiency of the round-window stimulation, a human ear finite element model, which incorporates cochlear asymmetric structure, was constructed. Five groups of comparison with experimental data confirmed the model’s validity. Based on this model, we investigated the influence of three categories of ossicular chain malformations, that is, incudostapedial disconnection, incus and malleus fixation, and fixation of the stapes. These malformations’ effects were evaluated by comparing the equivalent sound pressures derived from the basilar membrane displacement. Results show that the studied ossicular chain malformations mainly affected the round-window simulation’s performance at low frequencies. In contrast to the fixation of the ossicles, which mainly deteriorates round-window simulation’s low-frequency performance, incudostapedial disconnection increases this performance, especially in the absence of incus process and stapes superstructure. Among the studied ossicular chain malformations, the stapes fixation has a much more severe impact on the round-window stimulation’s efficiency. Thus, the influence of the patients’ ossicular chain malformations should be considered in the design of the round-window stimulation’s actuator. The low-frequency output of the round-window simulation’s actuator should be enhanced, especially for treating the patients with stapes fixation.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanguo Yang ◽  
Dan Xu ◽  
Xiaole Liu

Round window (RW) stimulation is a new type of middle ear implant’s application for treating patients with middle ear disease, such as otosclerosis. However, clinical outcomes show a substantial degree of variability. One source of variability is the variation in the material properties of the ear components caused by the disease. To investigate the influence of the otosclerosis on the performance of the RW stimulation, a human ear finite element model including middle ear and cochlea was established based on a set of microcomputerized tomography section images of a human temporal bone. Three characteristic changes of the otosclerosis in the auditory system were simulated in the FE model: stapedial annular ligament stiffness enlargement, stapedial abnormal bone growth, and partial fixation of the malleus. The FE model was verified by comparing the model-predicted results with published experimental measurements. The equivalent sound pressure (ESP) of RW stimulation was calculated via comparing the differential intracochlear pressure produced by the RW stimulation and the normal eardrum sound stimulation. The results show that the increase of stapedial annular ligament and partial fixation of the malleus decreases RW stimulation’s ESP prominently at lower frequencies. In contrast, the stapedial abnormal bone growth deteriorates RW stimulation’s ESP severely at higher frequencies.


Author(s):  
Massimiliano Gobbi ◽  
Giorgio Previati ◽  
Giampiero Mastinu

An off-road motorcycle frame has been analyzed and modified to optimize its fatigue life. The fatigue life of the frame is very important to define the service life of the motorcycle. The strain levels on key parts of the frame were collected during experimental tests. It has been possible to locate the areas where the maximum stress level is reached. A finite element (FE) model of the frame has been developed and used for estimating its fatigue life. Static test bench results have been used to validate the FE model. The accuracy of the finite element model is good, the errors are always below 5% with respect to measured data. The mission profile of the motorcycle is dominated by off-road use, with stress levels close to yield point, so a strain-life approach has been applied for estimating the fatigue life of the frame. Particular attention has been paid to the analysis of the welded connections. A shell and a 3D FE model have been combined to simulate the stress histories at the welds. Two reference maneuvers have been considered as loading conditions. The computed stresses have been used to assess the life of the frame according to the notch stress approach (Radaj & Seeger). The method correlates the stress range in a idealized notch, characterized by a fictitious radius in the weld toe or root, to the fatigue life by using a single S-N curve. New technical frame layouts have been proposed and verified by means of the developed finite element model. The considered approach allows to speed up the design process and to reduce the testing phase.


2011 ◽  
Vol 368-373 ◽  
pp. 1955-1960
Author(s):  
Hong Wei Wei ◽  
Xiao Li Yang ◽  
Ze Hong Yu

Finite element model of culvert under high-backfill reinforced with Geosynthetics was set up to calculate the soil pressures on culvert and the effects of load reduction by reinforcement were analyzed in the paper. Results showed that the soil load on culvert under embankment reinforced with geosynthetics was reduced significantly compared with the one under unreinforced embankment, the reduction effects were related with reinforcement layers and space. With increasing layers the soil load reduced, but the amount of reduction seemed out of proportion to the layer increasing, to some extent the layers will contributed only a little to the load reduction. Comparatively, the reduction effects enhanced remarkably with space of reinforcement. Results will benefit to design and construction of engineering.


Author(s):  
Nguyen Ngoc Tan ◽  
Nguyen Trung Kien

The reinforcement corrosion is one of the most dominant deterioration mechanisms of existing reinforced concrete structures. In this paper, the effects of the stirrup corrosion on the structural performance of five corroded beams have been simulated using the finite element model with DIANA software. These tested beams are divided into two groups for considering different inputs: (i) without corroded stirrups in flexural span, (ii) with locally corroded stirrups at different locations (e.g. full span, shear span, middle span). FE model has been calibrated with experimental results that were obtained from the four-point bending test carried out on the tested beams. This study shows that the stirrups corrosion should be received more attention in the serviceability limit state since its considerable effect on flexural behavior. Based on a parametric study, it shows that the effect of the cross-section loss of tension reinforcements on the load-carrying capacity of the corroded beam is more significant than the bond strength reduction. Keywords: reinforced concrete; beam; stirrup corrosion; finite element model; flexural nonlinear behavior.


Author(s):  
Amir Khalilollahi ◽  
Russell L. Warley ◽  
Oladipo Onipede

Boards made of composites are susceptible of structural failure or irreversible damage under thermally raised stresses. A thermal/structural finite element model is integrated in this study to enable the predictions of the temperature and stress distribution of vertically clamped parallel circuit boards that include series of symmetrically mounted heated electronic modules (chips). The board is modeled as a thin plate containing four heated flush rectangular areas that represent the electronic modules. The finite element model should be to able to accept the convection heat transfer on the board surface, heat generation in the modules, and directional conduction inside the board. A detailed 3-D CFD model is incorporated to predict the conjugate heat transfer coefficients that strongly affect the temperature distribution in the board and modules. Structural analyses are performed by a FE model that uses the heat transfer coefficients mentioned above, and structural elements capable of handling orthotropic material properties. The stress fields are obtained and studied for the models possessing two and there laminates with different fiber orientations, and inter-fiber angles. Appreciable differences in values of max stress intensity were observed as the fiber orientation and inter-fiber angle changed. The angular parameters in this study were guided by experimental design (DOE) concepts leading to a metamodel of the stress intensity in the board. The optimum design variables found by the equations of the metamodel.


2013 ◽  
Vol 540 ◽  
pp. 79-86
Author(s):  
De Jun Wang ◽  
Yang Liu

Finite element (FE) model updating of structures using vibration test data has received considerable attentions in recent years due to its crucial role in fields ranging from establishing a reality-consistent structural model for dynamic analysis and control, to providing baseline model for damage identification in structural health monitoring. Model updating is to correct the analytical finite element model using test data to produce a refined one that better predict the dynamic behavior of structure. However, for real complex structures, conventional updating methods is difficult to be utilized to update the FE model of structures due to the heavy computational burden for the dynamic analysis. Meta-model is an effective surrogate model for dynamic analysis of large-scale structures. An updating method based on the combination between meta-model and component mode synthesis (CMS) is proposed to improve the efficiency of model updating of large-scale structures. The effectiveness of the proposed method is then validated by updating a scaled suspender arch bridge model using the simulated data.


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