Abstract:

The human ear is one of the most vulnerable organs to blast damage in modern warfare. The accurate prediction of blast wave effects on the ear has become a key challenge in auditory trauma research. A lumped parameter (LP) model, with parameters optimized using a genetic algorithm, is developed to efficiently predict the middle ear’s dynamic response to blast waves. The model accurately predicts tympanic membrane (TM) and stapes responses, particularly the first peak. Frequency-domain displacement and sensitivity analyses show that the middle ear responses are concentrated in a low-frequency range, with the blast wave amplitude significantly influencing the overall responses. TM responses are more sensitive to decay time at higher frequencies, while stapes responses are more sensitive at lower frequencies. This method achieves competitive accuracy and high computational efficiency. Based on this model, a risk index based on stapes displacements is proposed to optimize and evaluate hearing protection systems.

Key words: blast wave, lumped parameter (LP) model, genetic algorithm, middle ear response, hearing protection