Experimental validation of flow models for a rigid vocal tract replica

• Published in: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America Vol. 130; no. 4; p. 2128
• Main Authors: Van Hirtum, Annemie, Pelorson, Xavier, Estienne, Olivier, Bailliet, Hélène
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.10.2011
• Subjects: Biomechanical Phenomena; Computer Simulation; Humans; Larynx - anatomy & histology; Larynx - physiology; Models, Anatomic; Models, Biological; Phonation; Pressure; Reproducibility of Results; Rheology; Tongue - anatomy & histology; Tongue - physiology; Tooth - anatomy & histology; Tooth - physiology; Viscosity
• ISSN: 1520-8524
• DOI: 10.1121/1.3631631

Flow through the vocal tract is studied through an in vitro rigid replica for different geometrical configurations and steady flow conditions with bulk Reynolds numbers Re<15,000. The vocal tract geometry is approximated by two consecutive obstacles, representing "tongue" and "tooth," in a rectangular channel of fixed length. For the upstream tongue obstacle with fixed constriction degree (81%) the streamwise position is varied and for the downstream obstacle the constriction degree is varied from 0% up to 96%. Different upstream pressures are considered for each geometrical configuration. Point pressure measurements at three fixed locations along the channel are experimentally assessed. In addition, the volume airflow rate is measured. The pressure distribution is estimated with a one-dimensional flow model, and the effects of different corrections to a laminar irrotational flow are assessed. The model outcome is validated against experimental data. Depending on the geometrical configuration, the best model accuracy is obtained by accounting for viscosity (needed for constriction degrees at the tooth that are small, i.e.,≤58%, or very large, i.e., ≥96%), a sudden constriction (large gap between both constrictions), or a bending geometry (narrow gap between both constrictions). Best overall model errors vary between 4% and 30% for all assessed geometrical configurations in cases where a tongue obstacle is present.