Optimal Sound Package Design Using Statistical Energy Analysis

In the early stages of a vehicle program, sound package design is significantly complicated by numerous competing requirements including cost, weight, acoustical targets and packaging space. The problem is further convoluted due to a limited definition of the vehicle at this time. In this article, a Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) model of the vehicle is created based on a gross description of the vehicle architecture. A large material database of commonly used sound package configurations is then linked to the SEA model. Genetic Algorithms (GA) are finally applied to optimize the sound package design to satisfy cost, weight, acoustical targets and packaging requirements in the vehicle design.