Using the Hybrid FE-SEA Method to Predict and Diagnose Component Transmission Loss

This paper investigates the application of the Hybrid FE-SEA method to the prediction of the Transmission Loss (TL) of a front-of-dash component. SEA subsystems are used to represent the source and receiving chambers of a TL test suite and an FE structural subsystem is used to represent the dash component. The potential advantages of the Hybrid FE-SEA method for this application are that: (i) it can provide detailed narrowband predictions of the radiation efficiency and TL of a given component across a broad frequency range and (ii) the computational cost of the approach is typically several orders of magnitude less than that of traditional low frequency FE/BEM/IEM methods. The approach is also potentially well suited to existing analysis processes since information from detailed component level models can be used to update and refine targets obtained from system level SEA models (the use of a common environment for such models simplifies model management). This paper provides background information about the Hybrid FE-SEA method and its implementation in the commercial software package “VA One”. The Hybrid FE-SEA model of the front-of-dash component is discussed and numerical predictions are compared with test data. The model is then used to diagnose the TL of a front-of-dash component and help identify areas where structural modification can lead to improvements in the overall TL.