On the coupling of Wave Based models with modally reduced Finite Element models for structural-acoustic analysis

This paper presents a newly developed hybrid simulation technique for coupled structural-acoustic analysis, which applies a wave based model for the acoustic cavity and a modally reduced finite element model for the structural part. The resulting hybrid model benefits from the computational efficiency of the wave based method, while retaining the finite element method's ability to model the structural part of the problem in great detail. Application of this approach to the analysis of a cavity-backed plate assembly shows the improved computational efficiency as compared to classical finite element procedures and illustrates the potential of the hybrid method as a powerful tool for the analysis of coupled structural-acoustic systems.