Modal Analysis of Prestressed Vocal Fold Model

This work addresses the modelling of vocal fold (VF) biomechanics under prestressing conditions typical of regular phonation. Longitudinal prestress significantly alters the internal stress distribution within the vocal folds and consequently affects their vibratory behaviour, which must be accounted for in realistic computational models. Here, modal analysis is performed on a linearized system constructed around a prestressed equilibrium configuration obtained from a geometrically nonlinear elastic formulation, thereby incorporating the influence of prestress and selected nonlinear effects. The methodology is demonstrated on the M5 benchmark model and on a tunable hollow silicone VF model developed at the Institute of Thermomechanics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, whose internal pressurization of cavity enables controlled variation of vibratory properties. The results highlight the significant impact of prestress on modal characteristics and illustrate a systematic way to incorporate these effects into computational VF models.