Structure and Mechanical Properties of the Vocal Fold1 1A portion of this article was presented at the Vocal Fold Physiology Conference, Kurume, Japan, in January 1980.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the structure and mechanical properties of the vocal fold. Three independent parameters, E a , E i , and G a , specify an orthotopic medium, provided that the medium is incompressible. The modulus measured under the longitudinal tension corresponds to E a , whereas that measured under the transverse tension corresponds to E i . The shear modulus measured with a rotation around the longitudinal axis corresponds to G a . The values of E a and E i are the differential Young's moduli taken from the same region of elongation in which G a s are also measured. The chapter also discussed the directionality of the tissue properties based on the histological findings and one's experimental result. The tissue components of the lamina propria that significantly affect the mechanical properties of the tissue are (1) collagenous fibers tightly connected longitudinally but loosely connected transversally, (2) elastic fibers running in every direction like a network, and (3) the ground substance having a gelatinous property