Abstract
A few investigations of the applicability of the finite-element method (FEM) to middle car analysis have already been reported. However, in the models used in these studies, the effects of ossicles, external auditory meatus and middle ear cavities on the dynamic behavior of the middle ear have been neglected. In this study, first, a three-dimensional FEM model of human auditory periphery was established by applying a FEM program devoloped by US. Then, vibration patterns of the tympanic membrane and ossicles at several frequencies were obtained, and the effects of middle ear cavities on the middle ear dynamic behavior were analyzed. The following conclusions were drawn. (1) The tympanic membrane vibration pattern is relatively simple at low frequencies. However, it becomes more complex at about 4 kHz. (2) The axis of rotation of the ossicular chain shifts to the upper part of the ossicles with increasing frequency. (3) The middle ear cavities suppress the tympanic membrane displacement at low frequencieS.
