A direct hybrid finite element – Wave based modelling technique for efficient coupled vibro-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 direct or 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 three fully coupled vibro-acoustic problems with an increasing modelling complexity 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 in the low- and mid-frequency range.