Modeling of piezoelectric smart structures including absorbing materials for cabin noise problems

Abstract

Modeling of piezoelectric smart structures including absorbing material was studied for cabin noise problems. The finite element method which uses a combination of three dimensional piezoelectric, flat shell and transition finite elements is adopted to model the piezoelectric active structure. The acoustic pressure in the cubic shaped cavity is represented in terms of modes of the cavity and the absorbing material is modeled using surface acoustic impedance. Finally, the effect of the cavity pressure is introduced in the finite element equations. The simulation result of sound pressure in the cavity is compared with an experiment and they show a good agreement. The cavity pressure is reduced in a wide frequency range except the resonance frequencies of the plate by applying absorbing material. It can be concluded that the piezoelectric smart structures with absorbing materials can be a creative technology for cabin noise problems.