Genetic algorithm for the optimization of damping material

Abstract

A main research topic in acoustics is the reduction of indoor noise, which has increasingly received attention in recent years. A commonly used solution to solve these problems is reducing noise using damping structures, which absorb sound. This work aims at the numerical optimization of damping structures in interior problems, following three goals. First, the optimal damping structure for the required frequency range has to be determined. Second, the optimal position of the damping material has to be found. Third, we are focusing on lightweight design, which means that the amount of damping material used, has to be kept to a minimum. We present the implementation of a genetic algorithm into our open source code, which we use to optimize the damping behaviour and in consequence, the sound propagation for interior problems. We show an example of the application of this code.