![](http://emc.ufsc.br/portal/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Modelo-Defesas-10.png)
![](http://emc.ufsc.br/portal/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Modelo-Defesas-10.png)
O estudante Fernando Henrique Tanaka Santos, orientado pelo Prof. Andrey Ricardo da Silva, Ph.D., defenderá sua dissertação na próxima terça-feira (05/11) às 10h no Auditório do EMC. A defesa é vinculada ao Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Mecânica. O auditório tem capacidade para 64 pessoas.
Banca:
Prof. Andrey Ricardo da Silva, Ph.D (Presidente)
Luiz Roberto Medina dos Santos, Dr. (CEPON)
Prof. Márcio Holsbach Costa, Dr. (UFSC/PPGEEL)
Prof. Stephan Paul, Dr.
Título: “Numerical analysis of the airflow downstream of a tracheoesophageal voice prosthesis”
Resumo:
Tracheoesophageal voice prostheses are the most appealing solution for the voice recovering process of patients that have undergone a total laryngectomy. The flow-induced vibration of the pharyngoesophageal segment, also known as the pseudoglottis, might be influenced by the aerodynamic behavior inside the prosthesis itself and by the characteristics of the flow structures downstream from its outlet. Previous works have investigated the pressure drop across different prosthesis designs with both in-vitro and in-vivo experiments. Nevertheless, the aerodynamic aspects of the flow in the tracheoesophageal region have been only investigated in-vitro with an idealized geometry. In the present study, the pressure drop between the trachea and the esophagus, as well as the pressure distribution along the pharyngoesophageal segment, are investigated as a functions of the prosthesis position and angulation. Moreover, the aerodynamic aspects of the flow downstream from the prosthesis outlet are assessed. The investigation was conducted by developing a computational model based on the idealized geometry available in the literature. After assessing the limitations of the idealized model, an experiment was performed in order to obtain the relationship between pressure, volume flow, and prosthesis opening, which was used to create a more accurate representation of the airflow through the prosthesis. The obtained results along with computed tomography images from laryngectomized subjects were used to build a more realistic computer model. This model was finally used to assess the influence of the voice prosthesis position on the pressure distribution inside the pharyngoesophageal segment. The results suggest that the prosthesis positioning does not play a significant role on the pressure drop across the prosthesis. Nevertheless, the pressure distribution inside the pharyngoesophageal segment is influenced by the prosthesis position, particularly for high volume flows.
Palavras-chave: Voice prosthesis, Tracheoesophageal speech, Voice aerodynamics.