Technical Paper
Application of Shape Optimization in Structural Design for Minimizing Radiated Noise
2018-06-13
2018-01-1482
Powertrain units such as engine and gearbox are important components affecting the noise and vibration performance of a vehicle. This paper presents a unique technique that uses structural shape optimization together with an acoustic transfer vector (ATV) technique to minimize the noise radiated from a gearbox casing. The ATVs relate the normal velocities of the gear case surface to the sound pressure at points in the acoustic field around the structure. The ATVs are calculated once only in an initial step using a boundary element method (BEM). By integrating the pre-calculated ATVs into the structural model as a frequency-dependent constraint relationship, the sound pressure at any position in the acoustic domain can be obtained as a response quantity in the FEM calculation. This makes it possible to use the standard structural optimization tools available in advanced FEM software to minimize the radiated noise.