Luc Mongeau
Cecil H. Coker
Robert A. Kubli
Acoust. Res. Dept., AT&T Bell Labs., 600 Mountain Ave., Murray Hill, NJ 07974
The aerodynamic characteristics of the source of voicing during phonation were investigated using a larynx model. An experimental setup consisting of a uniform cylindrical tube partitioned by a flexible wall with an opening, which was made geometrically similar to the human glottis, was built. Two pushrods mechanically forced the opening to close and open with a cycle approximating that of human folds during voicing. A regulated air supply connected to a flexible hose filled with mineral wool simulated the action of the lungs, pressurizing the subglottal tube. Flow velocities within the jet formed at the orifice discharge and in the subglottal tube were measured using hot-wire anemometry. Dynamic subglottal and supraglottal pressure, glottal area, and mean flowrate were also measured. The results show how the dynamic flow resistance of the glottal opening, defined as the ratio of the instantaneous pressure drop across the opening and the instantaneous flowrate, compares with the steady-state resistance of the orifice, measured with the glottis at rest.