Prediction Of Sound Propagation Research Articles

Accounting for the vehicle influence on tyre noise through acoustic simulation based on equivalent monopole sources

Road traffic noise poses a risk to human health and amongst the different noise sources, tyre-road interaction plays a fundamental role. Due to the regulations introduced to limit noise levels, tyre manufacturers are committed to design acoustically optimized tyres. In this context, a numerical-experimental approach for including vehicle influence on tyre noise has been investigated. As a first step, equivalent monopole sources are identified based on the measurements of the radiated sound field of a rolling tyre in a semi-anechoic chamber. In a second step, the same sound sources are then employed for the prediction of sound propagation when tyres are mounted on a vehicle, which is included in the acoustic simulation. Finally, a validation against indoor experimental measurements is performed, yielding promising results.

Atmospheric Sound Propagation over Rough Sea: Numerical Evaluation of Equivalent Acoustic Impedance of Varying Sea States

This work presents a numerical study on atmospheric sound propagation over rough water surfaces with the aim of improving predictions of sound propagation over long distances. A method for generating pseudorandom sea profiles consistent with sea wave spectra is presented. The proposed method is suited for capturing the logarithmic nature of the energy distribution of the waves. Sea profiles representing fully developed seas for sea states 2, 3, 4, and 5 are generated from the Elfouhaily et al. (ECKV) sea wave spectra. Excess attenuation caused by refraction and surface roughness is predicted with a parabolic equation (PE) solver. A novel method for estimating equivalent effective impedance based on PE predictions at different sea states is presented. Parametric expressions using acoustic frequency and significant wave height are developed for effective surface impedances. In this work, sea surface roughness is on a scale comparable with the acoustic wavelength. Under this condition, the acoustic scattering is primarily incoherent. This work shows the limitations of using an equivalent surface impedance in such incoherent scattering cases.

Sound propagation in realistic interactive 3D scenes with parameterized sources using deep neural operators.

We address the challenge of acoustic simulations in three-dimensional (3D) virtual rooms with parametric source positions, which have applications in virtual/augmented reality, game audio, and spatial computing. The wave equation can fully describe wave phenomena such as diffraction and interference. However, conventional numerical discretization methods are computationally expensive when simulating hundreds of source and receiver positions, making simulations with parametric source positions impractical. To overcome this limitation, we propose using deep operator networks to approximate linear wave-equation operators. This enables the rapid prediction of sound propagation in realistic 3D acoustic scenes with parametric source positions, achieving millisecond-scale computations. By learning a compact surrogate model, we avoid the offline calculation and storage of impulse responses for all relevant source/listener pairs. Our experiments, including various complex scene geometries, show good agreement with reference solutions, with root mean squared errors ranging from 0.02 to 0.10 Pa. Notably, our method signifies a paradigm shift as-to our knowledge-no prior machine learning approach has achieved precise predictions of complete wave fields within realistic domains.

An improved artificial compressibility method for aeroacoustics at low Mach numbers

This work presents an improved artificial compressibility method that enables correct sound propagation behaviour in low Mach number flows. As an extension of incompressible approaches, it offers the advantage of low computational costs since compressible flow equations are simplified under the isentropic assumption, and the coupling of flow and sound is preserved. The non-uniform speed of sound is considered in this method, and eigenvalue analysis of the modified governing equations reveals that the propagation speed of pseudo waves restores to that of physical acoustic waves. The effect of Mach number on the dissipation and dispersion error is then studied using a two-dimentional monopole example with uniform background flow. The results suggest that the proposed method can provide a satisfactory prediction of sound propagation when the Mach number is below 0.3. Lastly, a direct noise computation of the aerofoil trailing-edge noise problem is performed to assess its capability to deal with the interaction between flow and sound. It shows that the present method can well capture the multiple-tone phenomenon.

Filter-based solutions for finite and infinite edge diffraction

Sound diffraction occurs at (building) corners, objects and openings, prominently affecting occluded and reflected sounds. Here, a physically-based, parametric filter model for diffraction at arbitrary wedges is presented. The model connects existing high-frequency asymptotic and exact solutions in geometrical acoustics using up to four half-order low-pass filters. Compact expressions for the transfer function and impulse response of the singly diffracted field are derived, with errors below 0.1 dB. A filter modification is suggested to account for the exact solution at low frequencies. The filter solution is further simplified to approximate the spectral effects of diffraction from finite wedges and objects composed thereof, referred to as universal diffraction filter approximation (UDFA). A computationally highly-efficient recursive filter implementation is presented and it is demonstrated that diffraction from flat finite objects like plates or apertures can be closely approximated. To account for effects of higher-order diffraction at the object, a heuristic filter extension is suggested. The presented filter-based diffraction solution is suited for the prediction and simulation of sound propagation including non-specular reflections in architectural acoustics. For virtual acoustics, UDFA provides an efficient and accurate approximation of edge diffraction to account for perceptually relevant frequency-dependent attenuation, extendable to arbitrary objects.

Wind turbine sound propagation: Comparison of a linearized Euler equations model with parabolic equation methods.

Noise generated by wind turbines is significantly impacted by its propagation in the atmosphere. Hence, for annoyance issues, an accurate prediction of sound propagation is critical to determine noise levels around wind turbines. This study presents a method to predict wind turbine sound propagation based on linearized Euler equations. We compare this approach to the parabolic equation method, which is widely used since it captures the influence of atmospheric refraction, ground reflection, and sound scattering at a low computational cost. Using the linearized Euler equations is more computationally demanding but can reproduce more physical effects as fewer assumptions are made. An additional benefit of the linearized Euler equations is that they provide a time-domain solution. To compare both approaches, we simulate sound propagation in two distinct scenarios. In the first scenario, a wind turbine is situated on flat terrain; in the second, a turbine is situated on a hilltop. The results show that both methods provide similar noise predictions in the two scenarios. We find that while some differences in the propagation results are observed in the second case, the final predictions for a broadband extended source are similar between the two methods.

Atmospheric acoustic propagation modeling using heterogeneous wind profiles along the acoustic path

This work presents atmospheric sound propagation predictions using a parabolic equation solver that accounts for heterogeneous wind profile distribution along the acoustic path. Transmission loss predictions using both homogeneous and heterogeneous wind speeds information are compared with data. A three-dimensional scanning Doppler LIDAR wind profiler captures real-time wind speed gradients at many locations along the acoustic propagation path providing the heterogeneous wind speed profiles. The wind measurements are concurrent with a pitch catch transmission loss measurements. A long-range acoustic device on an anchored pontoon sends known chirp sequences to a seven-channel receiver array at the water’s edge at ranges up to approximately one kilometer. Additional synchronized meteorological observations include temperature, humidity, and wind measured with anemometers. Key differences in model results are highlighted and an assessment of the value of the computational cost is presented.

Predicting range-dependent underwater sound propagation from structural sources in shallow water using coupled finite element/equivalent source computations

Predictions of underwater sound propagation (USP) from structural sources in complex shallow-water environments are crucial for underwater navigation, communication, and localization. Modeling range-dependent USP in shallow water remains challenging because structural acoustic radiation is coupled with complex waveguide physics. This paper presents a coupled finite element (FE)/equivalent source (ES) computation scheme for predicting the range-dependent USP from a structural source. The scheme involves coupled vibroacoustic FE/ES analyses and waveguide-field ES computations. The former computes the structural vibration response and reproduces the structural-acoustic radiation at arbitrary spatial positions. The coupled vibroacoustic FE/ES analysis provides the input for the waveguide-field ES computations, which couple the structural-acoustic radiation with the shallow-water environment. A multilayer acoustic–elastic ES method (ESM) is developed to accommodate sound speed inhomogeneities and a range-dependent elastic seabed. Numerical simulations demonstrate the interactions of structural-acoustic radiation with two-dimensional topographies and internal solitary waves. The proposed scheme is extended to three dimensions by combining the coupled vibroacoustic FE/ES analysis with a pre-corrected fast Fourier transform-accelerated ESM. The results validate the proposed scheme and demonstrate its benchmark-quality solutions and high numerical efficiency, suggesting great application potential for optimizing the sonar performance at the preliminary design stage.

A Universal Filter Approximation of Edge Diffraction for Geometrical Acoustics

Sound propagation in urban and indoor environments often involves diffraction at corners, finite objects and openings, resulting in perceptually relevant frequency-dependent attenuation. Geometrical acoustics (GA) have become a de-facto standard for the prediction and simulation of sound propagation and real-time virtual acoustics, including effects of edge diffraction. However, methods to account for edge diffraction often assume infinite edges, such as the uniform theory of diffraction, or are computationally involved, such as the Biot-Tolstoy-Medwin-Svensson (BTMS) method. Particularly for interactive auralization, an efficient approximation of edge diffraction is desirable. Here, an extension of GA to account for diffraction with simple-to-derive parameters and a time-domain recursive filter implementation is suggested. This universal diffraction filter approximation (UDFA) describes diffraction from infinite and finite wedges using a combination of first-order and (fractional) half-order low-pass filters to account for the frequency-dependent attenuation of the diffracted incident and reflected sound field. The physically-based UDFA exactly matches asymptotic solutions for infinite wedges and provides approximations for finite wedges. It is demonstrated that first-order diffraction from flat finite objects like a plate or an aperture can be described by combining the filters for each edge. To account for effects of higher-order diffraction, an additional heuristic filter extension is suggested.

Developing a modelling approach for sound propagation through turbulent boundary layer and applying to train pantograph

Sound propagation through turbulent boundary layer (TBL) is of great significance in transports where a TBL is attached to their external surfaces, for instance, air planes and high speed trains. Precise predictions of sound propagation through TBLs to their external surfaces can be extremely useful for their corresponding interior noise control. It is well known that a TBL is classified as an inhomogeneous flow medium and existing approaches are not capable to well predict its influence on sound propagation. Insight of sound propagation through TBLs is required but relevant research on this topic is limited in the literature. In this work, a modelling approach is developed to predict the influence of TBLs on sound propagation. In the proposed approach, the ray tracing method is employed to predict the evolution of sound waves when they are passing through a TBL, with which the equivalent phase speed of sound can be obtained and used to calculate the the Doppler factor so that the traditional methods can be extended to predict sound distribution in inhomogeneous flow media. The validation of this modelling approach is performed by using two cases. The first case is to predict the convective effect of sound propagation in a uniform mean flow and the predicted results are compared with analytical solutions. The second case is sound propagation through a TBL and the predictions obtained from this proposed approach are compared with numerical simulations obtained from the finite element (FE) method. In both cases, the convective effect obtained from this proposed approach is close to the analytical solution or the FE prediction. After that, the proposed approach is used to predict the sound propagation from a high speed train pantograph to the external surfaces of the train with considering the influence of the TBL. The corresponding results are verified by using FE simulations. This work shows that the proposed approach is effective and efficient, and also, it enhances the understanding of sound propagation in inhomogeneous flow media.

Direct discrete complex image method for sound field evaluation above a non-locally reacting layer.

Thin layers of porous media are widely adopted in sound absorption and noise control applications due to their compact arrangement. Particularly, porous media with low flow resistivity exhibit complex, non-local reaction behavior. Therefore, sound field prediction above these media is computationally challenging. This is due to singularities and branch points in the expression for the reflection coefficient. This paper introduces a framework based on the direct discrete complex image method to analyze the sound field above a rigid-backed, non-locally reacting porous sample. In contrast to traditional complex image applications, the proposed framework avoids the extraction of the quasi-static term and the poles from the reflection coefficient. Instead, the reflection coefficient-including its singularities-is directly approximated in terms of a series of complex exponentials, whose coefficients are determined with the matrix pencil method. This study analyzes the sound field above two test samples made of melamine and rockwool. The sound field computation is efficient and accurate in the near- and in the far-field. Moreover, predicted specific impedances agree well with experimental in situ impedance measurements. The proposed framework serves for more applications including object detection in multilayered porous grounds or sound propagation prediction in layered atmosphere.

New measurement technique for ground acoustic impedance in wind farm

Ground acoustic impedance is important in the prediction of sound propagation. In this paper, a new measurement technique is developed based on the Image Source method. Two set-ups are used. Set-up 1 consists of a speaker at a height of 0.5 m and two microphones at heights of 0.2 m (or 0.3 m) and 0.5 m with a separation distance of 1.75 m between the speaker and microphones. Set-up 2 has a double separation distance and almost double heights of 0.5 m and 1 m. The impedance measurements were performed at grass-ground and soft soil-ground after harvest in two different wind farms in Denmark. The findings are: (1) The Nordtest method works in Set-up 1, but gives inconsistent results in Set-up 2. (2) The new method gives consistent results in both set-ups. (3) The flow resistivity obtained with an impedance model can only be used with that specific impedance model, and it becomes inaccurate when used with other impedance models. (4) The determination procedure of flow resistivity is suggested to work with any impedance model. (5) A relation between the flow resistivity obtained with the one-parameter model of Delany and Bazley and that obtained with the four-parameter model of Attenborough is derived.

A Review Approach for Sound Propagation Prediction of Plate Constructions

In this contribution, a review study is established in order to gather, classify and organize all of the previous researches on the sound insulation characteristics of plate structures with span a period from 1967 to nowadays. Accordingly, more than 200 articles in the area of acoustic performance of these structures are rolled up and reviewed. To achieve this end, in the first step, all of the existence papers are categorized and classified based on the thematic correspondent. Herewith, not only some appropriate descriptions about the importance of the issue are given but also a series of basic equations and generalities in this field are developed. The paper is then conducted to focus on the various theories in order to present the reliable results according to thickness of structures. In this regard, different theories including classical, shear deformation and three-dimensional are highlighted. To extend the review, a comprehensive explanation is provided with emphasis on the type of materials such as composite, isotropic and functionally graded. It is useful to note that sandwich plate structures with their subdivisions are also set in this group. Consequently, the structures are organized according to their boundary conditions. Besides, the importance of type of incident field is inspected, too. Subsequently, in order to remark the methods employed by the researchers, the works are reviewed based on their solution techniques. Before concluding remarks, the remained papers are classified on the basis of various procedures such as optimization and control of sound transmission through plate structures.

Pressure ratio and phase difference in a two-microphone system under uncertain outdoor sound propagation conditions

Predictions of outdoor sound propagation in uncertain conditions are a challenging task. Evidence suggests that using more than one receiver can reduce the effect of uncertainties. This paper studies via numerical simulations the effects of uncertainty in the source/receiver geometry and impedance ground condition on the sound pressure ratio recorded using the two-microphone method. A Monte Carlo method is employed to study the effect of uncertainties in the range and ground parameters. The range and frequency are found to be key parameters which control the resultant probability density function for the absolute sound pressure ratio and phase difference. The introduction of small uncertainty only matters if the uncertainty is present in the distance between the source and receiver. Uncertainties in the impedance ground are found to have a negligible effect. The sound pressure ratio is affected by the uncertainty more strongly at a shorter range. These findings pave the way to the development of more robust methods for outdoor acoustic source localisation and identification from two-microphone data.

Bandgap formation under temperature-induced quasi-periodicity in an acoustic duct with flexible walls

This paper is concerned with the acoustic bandgap formation in a duct with periodically flush-mounted flexible walls, subject to a stream-wise temperature variation. A numerical model, based on a piecewise treatment of the arbitrary temperature gradient, is proposed for the accurate prediction of sound propagation in a complex thermal environment. Effects of the system quasi-periodicity due to the temperature change on the bandgap formation, as well as possible mitigation measures through parameter tuning, are revealed. It is shown that, on the top of the resonance bandgap, Bragg reflection bandgap can still be created despite the system quasi-periodicity. In addition to an alteration to the bandgap central frequency due to the temperature-induced acoustic wavelength changes inside the duct, the bandwidths of the bandgaps are also adversely affected, especially when the temperature gradient is large. Numerical analyses show the possibility of tuning and customizing the bandgap formation through a proper selection of the lattice distance and the structural parameters. A combined tuning strategy would warrant a merging of the bandgaps, adjustment of their central frequencies as well as an enlargement of the bandwidth for a given temperature variation range through creating a favorable coupling between the Bragg reflections and the local resonances of the flexible walls.

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT FOR ESTIMATION OF LOW FREQUENCY SOUND PROPAGATION IN GAS GUIDES OF POWER PLANTS TAKING TO ACCOUNT ACTIVE SOUND SOURCES

This paper is devoted to the problems of modelling and calculation of propagation of low frequency sound in gas guides of power plants taking to account active sound sources. The structure of software for prediction and calculation of low-frequency sound propagation in gas guides have described. Software uses four-pole method and takes to account radiation from additional (active) sound course. By using software it is possible to estimate sound source parameters to provide efficient sound attenuation. Examples of software application to calculation of intake and exhaust noise of internal combustion engine are described. The results of calculations show the possibilities of four-pole method software using to design acoustically the parameters of gas guides and mufflers for the different fields of applications.

Effects of rough surface on sound propagation in shallow water**Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11434012, 11874061, and 41561144006).

Underwater acoustic applications depend critically on the prediction of sound propagation, which can be significantly affected by a rough surface, especially in shallow water. This paper aims to investigate how randomly fluctuating surface influences transmission loss (TL) in shallow water. The one-dimension wind-wave spectrum, Monterey–Miami parabolic equation (MMPE) model, Monte Carlo method, and parallel computing technology are combined to investigate the effects of different sea states on sound propagation. It is shown that TL distribution properties are related to the wind speed, frequency, range, and sound speed profile. In a homogenous waveguide, with wind speed increasing, the TLs are greater and more dispersive. For a negative thermocline waveguide, when the source is above the thermocline and the receiver is below that, the effects of the rough surface are the same and more significant. When the source and receiver are both below the thermocline, the TL distributions are nearly the same for different wind speeds. The mechanism of the different TL distribution properties in the thermocline environment is explained by using ray theory. In conclusion, the statistical characteristics of TL are affected by the relative roughness of the surface, the interaction strength of the sound field with the surface, and the changes of propagating angle due to refraction.

Compressional-shear wave coupling induced by velocity gradient in elastic medium

In the real ocean environment, the compressional and shear wave velocities in an elastic sediment layer vary with depth, leading to the coupling between compressional and shear waves. As the coupling will affect the underwater sound field, in this paper, a typical sound velocity distribution (where the compression wave velocity has an <i>n</i><sup>2</sup> linear distribution and the square of shear wave velocity has a linear distribution) is analyzed. Based on the wave equation in inhomogeneous elastic medium, coupled equations of wavenumber kernels of scalar and vector potential functions are established. Based on the perturbation method, approximate analytical solutions of integration kernels are acquired by successive differentiation. The comparison between theoretical prediction and experimental data, which are from the pressure sensor of ocean-bottom seismometer (OBS) consisting of three orthogonal hydrophones and one hydrophone, located at the bottom of the sea near Qingdao City, shows that the coupling between shear wave and compression wave has little effect on near-field sound propagation, while the prediction of long-range sound propagation needs to consider the influence of eigenvalue change caused by coupling. Theoretic analysis shows that there will be coupling between the two waves only if the gradient, <i>σ</i>, of the square of the shear wave velocity is nonzero. When <i>α</i>, the gradient of the reciprocal of the square of the compression wave velocity, becomes larger, and <i>σ</i> remains unchanged, the simulation results show that the change of the eigenvalue is very small when considering the coupling effect. Thus, transmission loss curves calculated by the coupled and uncoupled algorithm are almost the same. When <i>σ</i> becomes larger while <i>α</i> remains unchanged, the simulation results show that eigenvalues are changed to some extent if considering the coupling effect, and that the difference between transmission loss calculated by the coupled and uncoupled algorithms increases. That means the effect of <i>σ</i> value on coupling is greater than that of <i>α</i> value. In addition, the coupling between the compression wave and shear wave can lead the eigenfunctions and derivative eigenfunctions in the sediment to change. The horizontal displacement and vertical displacement are the Fourier-Bessel integral functions of eigenfunctions and derivative eigenfunctions. So the displacement field of particle in the sediment layer is different in the coupled case from that in the uncoupled cases. By comparing the transmission loss of sound pressure simulated by COMSOL software and that obtained from our proposed method, the correctness of the proposed method is verified. And the calculation time is much shorter than the calculation time by using COMSOL software.

Sound propagation above a flat ground with random spatially varying properties

The acoustic properties of ground surfaces vary in space. Usually, these variations are not accounted for in predictions of outdoor sound propagation for two main reasons. First, they are not known as it is costly to obtain finely sampled spatial measurements of these ground properties. Second, there is no existing simple and quick-to-compute analytical solution for a ground with a spatially-varying admittance, contrary to the well-documented case of a ground with a homogeneous admittance. This imperfect knowledge of the ground characteristics leads to uncertainties about the sound pressure level. This paper aims at characterizing these uncertainties. Propagation of acoustic waves over the ground with a spatially-varying surface admittance is therefore considered. Using the diagram technique, the average Green's function is determined. An asymptotic expression in the form of a Weyl-Van der Pol formula is obtained at long range and at grazing incidence. Modifications of the reflection coefficient and of the surface wave contribution due to randomness are analyzed. Numerical simulations using a linearized Euler equations solver are then carried out. Comparison of the mean pressure obtained from ensemble-average over 200 realizations and from the analytical solution is performed. Finally, the mean intensity and intensity fluctuations are investigated.

Asymptotic stepwise coupled modes for horizontally-variable acoustic media

Efficient and accurate mathematical codes for the prediction of underwater sound propagation are a critical component of SONAR system development and operation. The goal of the research presented herein is to develop, implement, and verify an efficient and rigorous coupled-mode solution for acoustic wave propagation in shallow water range-dependent environments. A theoretical framework involving a range-expanded inner product for capturing the coupling between modes as they propagate through a horizontally-variable medium is presented. This framework includes a novel discretization of the range-dependent acoustic medium. A difference equations approach, which implements the inner product to account for non-adiabatic energy transfer between modes, is used to recursively compute reflection and transmission coefficients throughout the discretized environment. Increased efficiency is gained in the method due to the ability to compute coupling via closed-form algebraic expressions and in the application of asymptotic analysis to simplify the transmission and reflection coefficients. Results will be shown for a sample of waveguides with horizontally-variable bottom depth, along with comparable results from R. Evans’ COUPLE model and an FEM solution produced by ARL-UT. [This work was funded by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Newport Rhode Island.]