Elastic models of vocal fold tissues.

Elastic properties of canine vocal fold tissue (muscle and mucosa) were obtained through a series of experiments conducted in vitro and were modeled mathematically. The elastic properties play a significant role in quantitative analysis of vocal fold vibrations and theory of pitch control. Samples of vocalis muscle and mucosa were dissected and prepared from dog larynges a few minutes premortem and kept in a Krebs solution at a temperature of 37 +/- 1 degrees C and a pH of 7.4 +/- 0.05. Samples of muscle tissue and mucosa were stretched and released in a slow, sinusoidal fashion. Force and displacement of the samples were measured with a dual-servo system (ergometer). After digitization, stress-strain data for samples of muscle tissue and cover tissue were averaged. The stress-strain data were then fitted numerically by polynomial and exponential models.