Dynamic properties of human tympanic membrane – experimental measurement and modelling analysis

An experimental setup for dynamic testing of human tympanic membrane (TM) with the material testing system and laser Doppler vibrometry is reported in this paper. The experiment on TM specimen was simulated in finite element (FE) model using acoustic-structure coupled analysis. The generalised standard linear solid (Weichert) model was used as the constitutive law for the TM, and the dynamic properties of the TM was derived by inverse-problem solving method. The complex modulus in frequency-domain and the relaxation modulus in time-domain were obtained. The mean value of storage modulus of eight TM specimens was 54.34 at the frequency of 200 Hz and 65.54 MPa at 8,000 Hz, while the mean loss modulus was 1.92 at 200 Hz and 6.12 MPa at 8,000 Hz. These results were compared with the published data measured with the miniature split Hopkinson tension bar. The methods and data reported here contribute to the field of soft tissue biomechanics in both experimental measurement and theoretical analysis of ear.