Regulation of glottal closure and airflow in a three-dimensional phonation model: Implications for vocal intensity control

Maintaining a small glottal opening across a large range of voice conditions is critical to normal voice production. This study investigated the effectiveness of vocal fold approximation and stiffening in regulating glottal opening and airflow during phonation, using a three-dimensional numerical model of phonation. The results showed that with increasing subglottal pressure the vocal folds were gradually pushed open, leading to increased mean glottal opening and flow rate. A small glottal opening and a mean glottal flow rate typical of human phonation can be maintained against increasing subglottal pressure by proportionally increasing the degree of vocal fold approximation for low to medium subglottal pressures and vocal fold stiffening at high subglottal pressures. Although sound intensity was primarily determined by the subglottal pressure, the results suggest that, to maintain small glottal opening as the sound intensity increases, one has to simultaneously tighten vocal fold approximation and/or stiffen the vocal folds, resulting in increased glottal resistance, vocal efficiency, and fundamental frequency.