COMPUTING DISPLACEMENTS OF MIDDLE-EAR OSSICLES DUE TO STATIC LOAD

To investigate the dynamic properties of human hearing, experiments in vivo and with cadaver specimens can be carried out. Furthermore, electrical or mechanical models can also be used to study specific phenomena and parameter sensitivities. Present electrical and mechanical models are often based on crude structural and kinematic simplifications in which testing is restricted to static loading or simplified investigations. To investigate both static and dynamic behavior of normal and pathological ears spatial mechanical models have to be established. The different parts of sound transmission - i.e., airborne sound, elastic membranes, fluids, and ossicles have to be represented by different mechanical systems. In this investigations, a rigid body model of the middle ear was investigated. For verification, simulation results with respect to static loads were compared with measurements reported previously by Huttenbrink. In further investigations, the dynamic behavior of the model will be evaluated. Models for the tympanic membrane and inner ear will also be formulated in order to create a compositive model that describes the whole hearing process. By so doing the successful development of prostheses as well as diagnostic methods will be supported.