AN ESTIMATION OF PRESSURE AND FLOW IN A 3-DIMENSIONAL DYNAMIC-MODEL OF THE LARYNX WITH NONUNIFORM GLOTTIS BY FVM

In order to describe the flow passing through the glottis, we construc ted a dynamic three-dimensional finite element model of the human lary nx. The transient flow fields in the laryngeal model were calculated t o examine the dynamic effects generated by the vocal fold vibration. A phase difference between the upper and lower edges of the vocal folds was included in the model to investigate the effect of the glottal sh apes on pressure-flow relationships in the larynx during the vocal fol d vibration. Using STAR-CD thermofluids analysis system, which is capa ble of treating the transient flow in moving-boundary situations with finite volume method, we solved the viscous incompressible Navier-Stok es equations to investigate the glottal flows and transglottal pressur es as a function of the vocal fold vibration. The results were compare d to the uniform glottis model and the theoretical model proposed by I shizaka and Matsudaira, respectively. The effects of dynamic factors o n the pressure distributions and flow patterns in the larynx resulting from the vocal-fold vibration were also discussed.