Search Results

This paper describes an experimental modal synthesis method for determining the noise characteristics of coupled acoustic-structural systems. This method was developed to provide an essential tool for analyzing passenger compartment noise levels. With this method, it is possible to obtain the coupled acoustic-structural parameters directly from experimental measurements of noise and vibration. The resulting modal parameters provide the basis for predicting how structural modifications will affect interior noise characteristics. This paper presents the theory on which the method is based and gives examples of its application to passenger compartment noise analyses.

In order to calculate efficiently the characteristics of car body vibration and the acoustic characteristic of the passenger compartment, a structural-acoustic analysis system, ‘CAD-B’, was developed. This system divides the body into three components - front body, main cabin and rear body. The characteristics of front and rear body vibration are expressed in modal parameters. The vibration characteristic throughout the car body is then calculated through the building block approach, while the main cabin remains in finite elements. A good agreement in eigen pairs was seen between this approach and the conventional finite element method. As for the passenger compartment, it is divided into finite elements and its eigen pairs are calculated. Then by linking body vibration with the acoustic characteristic of the passenger compartment, sound pressure in the passenger compartment is calculated.