A general approach for minimizing radiated acoustic power of a baffled
plate excited by broad band harmonic excitation is given. The steps i
nvolve a finite element discretization for expressing acoustic power a
nd vibration analysis, analytical design sensitivity analysis, and the
use of gradient-based optimization algorithms. Acoustic power express
ions are derived from the Rayleigh integral for plates. A general meth
odology is developed for computing design sensitivities using analytic
al expressions. Results show that analytical sensitivity analysis is i
mportant from both computational time and accurcy considerations. Appl
ications of the optimization strategy to rectangular plates and an eng
ine cover plate are presented. Thicknesses are chosen as design variab
les.