A 3D Printed Human Ear Model for Standardized Testing of Hearing Protection Devices to Blast Exposure.

HYPOTHESIS: A 3D printed human temporal bone (TB) that is anatomically accurate would cost-effectively reproduce the responses observed in blast testing of human cadaveric TBs with and without passive hearing protection devices (HPDs).

BACKGROUND

HPDs have become critical personal protection equipment against auditory damage for service members. Acoustic test fixtures and human TBs have been used to test and develop HPDs; however, the lack of a cost-effective, standardized model impedes the improvement of HPDs.

METHODS

In this study, the 3D printed TB model was printed with flexible and rigid polymers and consisted of the ear canal, tympanic membrane (TM), ossicular chain, middle ear suspensory ligaments/muscle tendons, and middle ear cavity. The TM movement under acoustic stimulation was measured with laser Doppler vibrometry. The TB model was then exposed to blasts with or without HPDs and pressures at the ear canal entrance (P0) and near the TM in the ear canal (P1) were recorded. All results were compared with that measured in human TBs.

RESULTS

Results indicated that in the 3D printed TB, the attenuated peak pressures at P1 induced by HPDs ranged from 0.92 to 1.06 psi (170-171 dB) with blast peak pressures of 5.62-6.54 psi (186-187 dB) at P0, and measured results were within the mean and SD of published data. Vibrometry measurements also followed a similar trend as the published results.

CONCLUSIONS

The 3D printed TB model accurately evaluated passive HPDs' protective function during blast and the potential for use as a model for acoustic transmission was investigated.