Ew. Constans et al., THE USE OF MODAL TAILORING TO MINIMIZE THE RADIATED SOUND POWER OF VIBRATING SHELLS - THEORY AND EXPERIMENT, Journal of sound and vibration, 217(2), 1998, pp. 335-350
A numerical design tool is presented for minimizing radiated sound pow
er from a vibrating shell structure using a material tailoring approac
h. A finite element method using shell elements is used to predict the
vibration response of the shell. The sound power generated by the she
ll under a harmonic force input is computed with a lumped parameter/wa
ve superposition method. A simulated annealing algorithm is used to fi
nd optimal point mass distributions for minimum sound power. It is sho
wn that optimal designs are achieved through converting certain mode s
hapes of the shell into ''weak radiators'', i.e., modes with low net v
olume velocities. Close agreement is found between predicted noise lev
els and experimental measurements, thus providing initial validation o
f the method as an effective means of finding optimal structural desig
ns for minimum sound power. (C) 1998 Academic Press.