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The sound attenuation performance of microperforated panels (MPP) with adjoining air cavity is demonstrated. First of all, simulated results are shown based upon Maa's work investigating the parameters which impact MPP performance [1]. It is shown that the most important parameter is the depth of the adjoining cavity. Following this, an experimental study was undertaken to compare the performance of an MPP to that of standard foam. Following this, two strategies to improve the MPP performance are implemented. These include partitioning the air cavity and having a cavity with varying depth. Both strategies show a marked improvement in MPP attenuation.

This paper explores the use of inverse boundary element method to identify aeroacoustic noise sources. In the proposed approach, sound pressure at a few locations out of the flow field is measured, followed by the reconstruction of acoustic particle velocity on the surface where the noise is generated. Using this reconstructed acoustic particle velocity, the acoustic response anywhere in the field, including in the flow field, can be predicted. This approach is advantageous since only a small number of measurement points are needed and can be done outside of the flow field, and a relatively fast computational time. As an example, a prediction of vortex shedding noise from a circular cylinder is presented.

Numerical acoustics has traditionally been relegated to a prediction only role. However, recent work has shown that numerical acoustics techniques can be used to diagnose noise problems. The starting point for these techniques is the acoustic transfer vector (ATV). First of all, ATV's can be used to conduct contribution analyses which can assess which parts of a machine are the predominant noise sources. As an example, the sound power contribution and radiation efficiency from parts of a running diesel engine are presented in this paper. Additionally, ATV's can be used to reliably reconstruct the vibration on a machine surface. This procedure, commonly called inverse numerical acoustics (INA), utilizes measured sound pressures along with ATV's to reconstruct the surface velocity. The procedure is demonstrated on an engine cover for which the reconstructed vibration had excellent agreement with experimental results.

Micro-perforated panels have tiny pores which attenuate sound based on the Helmholtz resonance principle. That being the case, an appropriate cavity depth should be chosen to fully capitalize on the attenuation potential of the panel. Generally, the panel's sound absorbing performance can be predicted by Maa's theory given information about the panel and the cavity depth. However, in some cases, one cannot use the theory to predict the panel's performance precisely, especially when the micro-perforate has varying diameters and/or irregular hole shapes. In these cases, the sound-absorbing performance of the micro-perforate is different from that of a uniform pore diameter perforate. This paper presents an alternative method to predict the micro-perforated panel's performance precisely. As a first step, the transfer impedance of the micro-perforate should be measured.

The two-source method was used to measure the bulk properties (complex characteristic impedance and complex wavenumber) of sound-absorbing materials, and results were compared to those obtained with the more commonly used two-cavity method. The results indicated that the two-source method is superior to the two-cavity method for materials having low absorption. Several applications using bulk properties are then presented. These include: (1) predicting the absorptive properties of an arbitrary thickness absorbing material or (2) layered material and (3) using bulk properties for a multi-domain boundary element analysis.

This paper explores the use of inverse numerical acoustics to reconstruct the surface vibration of a noise source. Inverse numerical acoustics is mainly used for source identification. This approach uses the measured sound pressure at a set of field points and the Helmholtz integral equation to reconstruct the normal surface velocity. The number of sound pressure measurements is considerably less than the number of surface vibration nodes. A brief guideline on choosing the number and location of the field points to provide an acceptable reproduction of the surface vibration is presented. The effect of adding a few measured velocities to improve the accuracy will also be discussed. Other practical considerations such as the shape of the field point mesh and effect of experimental errors on reconstruction accuracy will be presented. Examples will include a diesel engine and a transmission housing.

An energy source simulation method (ESSM) has been developed to determine sound energy density. Using this approach, a specified intensity boundary condition on the surface of a vibrating body is approximated by superimposing energy density sources placed inside the body. The unknown strengths for these sources are then found by minimizing the error on the boundary, using a least squares technique. The superposition of these energy density sources should then approximate the sound radiating from the body. The approach was evaluated in two-dimensions for a circle, square, and a more general geometry. The ESSM proved an excellent tool for predicting the energy density provided that power radiated uniformly in all directions. However, the ESSM could not accurately predict the directional characteristics of the energy density field if the power radiated significantly higher from one side of an object than other sides.

This paper considers two questions: how does one know when a boundary element mesh is reliable, and what are the advantages and potential pitfalls of various methods for sound radiation prediction. To answer the first question, a mesh checking method is used. With this method velocity boundary conditions are calculated on the nodes of the mesh using a point source or sources placed inside the mesh. A boundary element program is then used to calculate the sound power due to these boundary conditions. The result is compared to the known sound power of the point source or sources. This method has been used to determine the maximum frequency of a mesh, how many CHIEF points to use, etc. The second question is answered by comparing the results of several numerical methods to experimental results for a running diesel engine. The methods examined include the direct and indirect boundary element methods and the Rayleigh integral.

This paper examines the feasibility of using the boundary element method (BEM) and the Rayleigh integral to assess the sound radiation from engine components such as oil pans. Two oil pans, one cast aluminum and the other stamped steel, are used in the study. All numerical results are compared to running engine data obtained for each of these oil pans on a Cummins engine. Measured running-engine surface velocity data are used as input to the BEM calculations. The BEM models of the oil pains are baffled in various ways to determine the feasibility of analyzing the sound radiated from the oil pan in isolation of the engine. Two baffling conditions are considered: an infinite baffle in which the edge of the oil pan are attached to an infinite, flat surface; and a closed baffle in which the edge of the oil pan is sealed with a rigid structure. It is shown that either of these methods gives satisfactory results when compared to experiment.

The Boundary Element Method (BEM) is a computational method for solving the acoustic wave equation when the acoustic domain has an irregular or arbitrary shape. The BEM is distinguished from other numerical methods such as the finite element method in that with the BEM only the surface or the boundary of the acoustic domain needs to be discretized. In this paper some examples are presented concerning problems in automotive industry involving the radiation of sound from engines and other vibrating structures, the acoustical response of passenger compartments of vehicles and the attenuation of mufflers and other exhaust or intake system components.

The objective of this study was to determine whether standard modeling packages could be used to predict the acoustical response of an IC-engine induction system. To determine the answer to this question, we constructed from acrylic plastic a “prototype” induction system for a four-cylinder engine. Two modeling packages were used. The first package used was BEMAP, a boundary element program designed specifically for acoustical modeling. The second package used was ANSYS, a general purpose finite element program. For both BEMAP and ANSYS, a radiation boundary condition was used at the air intake of the induction system. Results from BEMAP and ANSYS are compared to experimental data. The experimental results were obtained by exciting one of the induction system intake ports with a small loudspeaker and measuring the transfer function between the sound pressure at the air inlet and the sound pressure at the intake port. All three sets of results exhibit good agreement.

In this article we discuss the boundary element method as it may be used in the automotive industry for acoustical modeling and prediction for noise control design. The boundary element method is used to calculate the sound pressure level at a prescribed distance from a vibrating engine block, the sound intensity on the surface of the engine block and the sound radiation efficiency of the block mode. The boundary element method is also used to determine the performance of a partial enclosure. The boundary element method is used to determine the sound intensity field inside and outside of the enclosure, both for unlined and lined cases. The sound pressure directivity pattern is also determined for each case. For verification of the boundary element method, we compare the results to experimental results for two test cases: radiation of sound from a vibrating structure and the acoustical response of a cavity.

In this paper the application of the Boundary Element Method (BEM) to problems in acoustics and noise control will be reviewed. The BEM is a computational method for solving the acoustic wave equation when the acoustic domain has an irregular or arbitrary shape. Examples of such problems in the automotive industry include the radiation of sound from engines and other vibrating structures, the scattering (diffraction) of sound from irregular surfaces and obstacles, the acoustical response of passenger compartments of vehicles and the attenuation of mufflers and other exhaust or intake system components. The BEM is distinguished from other numerical methods such as the finite element method in that with the BEM only the surface or boundary of the acoustic domain must be discretized. This is an important feature in solving radiation problems, where the domain is infinite or semi-infinite, but is also beneficial for cavity and muffler problems as well.

An advanced computational method is presented for calculating the sound radiated by vibrating engine of arbitrary shape. The method is based on the numerical evaluation of the Helmholtz Integral Equation. In particular an isoparametric element formulation is introduced in which both the surface geometry and the acoustic variables on the surface of the vibrating body are represented by second order shape functions within the local coordinate system. The formulation includes the case where the surface may have a non-unique normal (e.g. at edges or corners). A general result for the surface and field velocity potential is derived. Test cases involving spherical geometry are given for a pulsating sphere and for an oscillating sphere in which the analytical solutions are known. Examples for bodies with edges and corners are shown for the problems of radiation from a circular cylinder and from a pulsating cube.

An experimental study was conducted to investigate piston-impact generated noise in diesel engines. A coherence model was used to represent the noise generating mechanisms of the engine. The model was applied to an in-line turbo-charged diesel engine. Frequency response functions were measured between the cylinder liner vibration and the engine noise, and between the combustion pressure and the engine noise. The noise coherent with piston impacts was separated from the noise coherent with combustion. Guidelines are presented showing how the results of the coherence model may be used for engine design and noise prediction.