A New Biomechanical Model of Vocal Fold Vibrations: Preliminary Experimental Validation

This paper introduces a new seven-mass biomechanical model for the vibration of vocal folds. The model is based on the body-cover layer concept of the vocal fold biomechanics, and segments the cover layer into three masses. This segmentation facilitates the model comparison with the motion of the vocal glottis contour derived from modern high-speed digital imaging systems. The model simulation is compared to experimental data from a pair of healthy vocal folds showing good agreement in the frequency and time domains. The proposed model is also shown to outperform a previously-developed model that does not explicitly account for the body layer dynamics.