SIMULATION OF THE TRANSFER FUNCTION FOR A HEAD-AND-TORSO MODEL OVER THE ENTIRE AUDIBLE FREQUENCY RANGE

In this study, a method for simulating the transfer function of a head-and-torso model over the entire audible frequency range is introduced. The simulation method uses the ultra-weak variational formulation (UWVF) which is a finite element type method tailored for wave problems. In particular, the UWVF uses plane wave basis functions which better approximate the oscillatory field than a polynomial basis used in the standard finite element methods (FEM). This leads to reduction in the computational complexity at the high frequencies which, accompanied with parallel computing, extends the feasible frequency range of the UWVF method. The accuracy of the new simulation tool is investigated using a simple spherical geometry after which the method used for preliminary HRTF simulations in the geometry of a widely used head-and-torso mannequin.