Validation of a Hybrid Finite Element Formulation for Mid-Frequency Analysis of Vehicle Structures

The hybrid Finite Element Analysis (hybrid FEA) has been developed for performing structure-borne computations in automotive vehicle structures [1, 2 and 3]. The hybrid FEA method combines conventional FEA with Energy FEA (EFEA). Conventional FEA models are employed for modeling the behavior of the stiff members in a system. Appropriate damping and spring or mass elements are introduced in the connections between stiff and flexible members in order to capture the presence of the flexible members during the analyses of the stiff ones. The component mode synthesis method is combined with analytical solutions for determining the driving point conductance at joints between stiff and flexible members and for defining the properties of the concentrated elements which represent the flexible members when analyzing the stiff components. Once the vibration of the stiff members and the amount of power dissipated at the damping elements has been identified, an EFEA analysis is performed in order to determine the amount of vibrational energy in the flexible members. In the past the hybrid FEA was validated for vehicle structures through comparison to very dense FEA models [1, 2 and 3]; in this paper the hybrid FEA is validated through comparison to test data.