Acoustic simulation

Acoustic simulations require specialized capabilities beyond standard finite element (FE) modeling capabilities. Often you need to model things like the air volume and the area where you want to measure acoustic pressures. Simcenter provides the advanced features you need, such as surface wrapping, convex meshing, mesh thickening and the ability to create hybrid (hexa-tetra) meshes, to help you accelerate acoustic meshing processes more than traditional preprocessors. The availability of various material models for both structure and fluid, and the wide variety of structural and acoustic boundary conditions and loads, allows you to efficiently set up your analysis.

The finite element method (FEM) for acoustics analysis is ideal for simulating interior acoustics problems. In addition to FEM being the more efficient method in terms of solution speed, it lets you perform coupled vibro-acoustics analyses that take structural modes and soundproofing materials into consideration. FEM acoustics can be easily used to solve exterior acoustics problems as well, such as for noise radiation analysis for powertrain components like air induction systems or gearboxes.

Often used for exterior acoustics problems, the boundary element method (BEM) is ideal for problems involving very complex geometry that may be a challenge to model for the FEM method. The BEM method helps simplify exterior acoustics simulation since only the outer surface mesh of the geometry is needed. This simplifies both the modeling process and reduces the degrees of freedom in the simulation model which will result in easier analysis.

Flow induced aeroacoustic noise is a significant component of the acoustic signature of a vehicle or other products. Predicting and understanding noise generation mechanisms, localizing sound sources, identifying transmission paths and predicting system acoustic response is key to good acoustic design. With Simcenter, you can reduce noise, improve sound quality and gain a competitive advantage while reducing expensive physical testing and reducing flow-induced vibrations/fatigue. Either the noise-inducing turbulent flows as well as the sound wave propagation can be resolved directly, or the flow simulation can be combined with so-called hybrid methods for sound propagation.