A Review of Array Techniques for Noise Source Location

In recent years the increase of computer data processing power has facilitated the use of several multi-channel techniques for noise source location and ranking. These techniques include Spatial Transformation of Sound Fields (STSF) and Inverse Boundary Element Method (IBEM) for reconstruction of the sound field on the source surface from near field measurements and Beamforming for far field measurements. STSF and IBEM are suited for the low to medium frequency range whereas Beamforming is suited for the medium to high frequency range.

The array methods are briefly introduced and a discussion of the advantages and limitations of the different techniques is presented. Benefits of combination of different techniques are also considered and exemplifying measurements are presented.