Simulating the behavior of the eardrum by the finite-element method

The eardrum has been modelled as a plane, isotropic membrane. We have included the effects of the embedded malleus, the frequency-dependent reactive and resistive forces exerted on the malleus by the rest of the ossicles, and the closed middle-ear air cavity. The variations in the form of the drum and malleus among different species have also been considered. The simulation is done using an adaptation of the finite-element method, in which the two-dimensional continuum is divided into a number of arbitrarily shaped triangles. The results obtained are compared to recent servations of eardrum vibration in the cat and guinea pig, as well as to middle-ear impedance data. [Supported by the Medical Research Council of Canada, the Quebec Department of Education, and the McConnell Foundation.]