Stiffness properties for Nucleus standard straight and contour electrode arrays

Abstract

Trauma and damage during insertion of electrode arrays into the human cochlea are strongly related to the stiffness of the array. The stiffness properties of electrode arrays, which were determined by three-point flexural bending and buckling tests, are reported in this paper. To date there has been limited publication on mechanical properties of these electrode arrays. Previous studies mainly focused on characterizing the stiffness of the tip of the Nucleus straight array with little emphasis on characterizing the stiffness of its whole length. In this study, stiffnesses of the Nucleus straight and contour electrode arrays have been determined along their length. Young's modulus of elastici..