The effect of blast overpressure on the mechanical properties of the human tympanic membrane

Abstract

The rupture of the tympanic membrane (TM) is one of the major indicators for blast injuries due to the vulnerability of TM under exposure to blast overpressure. The mechanical properties of the human TM exhibit a significant change after it is exposed to such a high intensity blast. To date, the published data were obtained from measurement on TM strips cut from a TM following an exposure to blast overpressure. The dissection of a TM for preparation of strip samples can induce secondary damage to the TM and thus potentially lead to data not representative of the blast damage. In this paper, we conduct mechanical testing on the full TM in a human temporal bone. A bulging experiment on the entire TM is carried out on each sample prepared from a temporal bone following the exposure to blast three times at a pressure level slightly below the TM rupture threshold. Using a micro-fringe projection method, the volume displacement is obtained as a function of pressure, and their relationship is modeled in the finite element analysis to determine the mechanical properties of the post-blast human TMs, the results of which are compared with the control TMs without an exposure to the blast. It is found that Young's modulus of human TM decreases by approximately 20% after exposure to multiple blast waves. The results can be used in the human ear simulation models to assist the understanding of the effect of blast overpressure on hearing loss.