A pseudo-forces methodology to be used in characterization of structure-borne sound sources

In the analysis of machinery noise generation and transmission the aspect of sound source characterization is of importance. Unlike for airborne sources, no widely applicable and practical methods are available yet for structure-borne sound sources. This paper presents the ‘pseudo-forces’ methodology. In this approach the internal excitation in a source component is reproduced by fictitious forces on the outer surface. This method is intended to be applied for ‘compact’ sources and in situations where (prototype) machinery is available for measurements. On the one hand this method respects the complex coupling of source component and mounting structure and on the other hand aims at reducing measurement effort. Experiments have shown the practicability of the approach.