NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF THE ACOUSTIC RESPONSE OF A HYDRODYNAMIC MODEL OF THE LABYRINTH SPACES

The behaviour of the cochlea as sound transducer is extraordinary complex; acoustical and electromechanical active mechanisms are presents making difficult to analyze the influence of each one separately. An alternative to approach this problem is the use of physical models or numerical models. In the present paper, the acoustical behavior of the system has been evaluated by means of a combination of both ways. A hydrodynamic model (Labyrinth Hydrodynamic Model (LHM)), that fits the principal properties of the human real labyrinth, vestibulum and cochlea volumes, was built and tested [R. Urquiza, 2008]. Additionally a Finite Elements Model (FEM) of this device was developed and used to simulate its behaviour. This work analyzes and discusses the influence of the main parameters on its acoustic response.