• Laval, Xavier
• Silva, Fabrice
• Hermant, Nicolas
• Pelorson, Xavier
• Luizard, Paul

Abstract

Vocal folds are composed of elastic, soft, multilayer material, and are set to various vibration regimes during phonation, while speaking or singing. To explore such vibration phenomena, a vocal folds replica has been built, allowing to control physical parameters (subglottal pressure, vocal folds stiffness, and glottal aperture) in order to understand their respective contribution. Vocal folds are imitated by latex tubes filled with water under variable pressure. The present study aims at presenting mechanical measurements performed on a single vocal fold replica by means of a shaker provided with an accelerometer in conjunction with a laser vibrometer. This vibration measurement protocol yields a series of frequency response functions over a specific area of the vocal fold. Modal analysis is then performed using an algorithm based on the least square complex exponentials (LSCE) method, which has been developed for single input-multiple output (SIMO) systems. Results are further compared with those from the rational fraction polynomial (RFP) method. Although results are in fair accordance, the observed discrepancies are quantified and discussed.

Topics

• impedance spectroscopy