Weight is a critical parameter in the design of any system launched into space. Current launch costs are on the order of 10,000 dollars per pound of payload capacity. Reducing weight and thus increasing payload capacity is always in the forefront of the design process. One method of increasing the payload capacity of launch vehicles is to reduce the acoustic environment in the interior of the fairing. A major problem is that passive methods currently used for noise suppression do not exhibit significant energy dissipation at low frequencies. This motivates the use of active noise control. Using active noise control for frequencies below 200 to 300 Hz in addition to the passive control means has potential to provide broadband noise suppression and thus a smoother, cheaper ride for any payload. The problem with this technique is that active noise control commonly uses electromagnetic speakers as the control element. The weight of the speaker adds more cost to the application due to the approximate cost per pound to send a launch vehicle and payload to space. At 10,000 dollars per pound of payload capacity, the added cost spent on protecting the payload can potentially reduce the amount of payload capacity a customer receives due to monies spent on non-payload mass. Therefore, necessity dictates a light weight noise control solution. This work investigates the feasibility of a transducer with less mass than that of a conventional loudspeaker which dissipates energy at the acoustic resonances of an enclosed cavity. The test setup involves using the transducer to lower the sound pressure levels of acoustic resonances which are excited by an external source, thus simulating the launch phase of a launch vehicle. The transducer is used as an actuator to add damping through feedback control. The transducer is comprised of three thin flexures that are actuated by piezoceramic material attached to both sides. The flexures actuate a speaker cone that is attached to the end of the flexures. The transducer can act as a sensor or an actuator due to the nature of the piezoceramics. The sound absorbing transducer is modeled to couple to the first acoustic resonance of a six foot cylindrical cavity. The cavity acts as a simplified model of a launch vehicle payload fairing. Equations of motion are derived to model actuator motion and the acoustic impedance of the cavity. A state-space model of the system was derived for two cases: a collocated sensor/actuator pair exciting the tube and an external source exciting the tube with the transducer acting as an absorber. The transducer is designed to affect the first mode, however damping is noticed in the next acoustic resonance. Analysis of the theoretical model indicated up to 70 percent reduction of the open-loop RMS values or a reduction of 10 dB. Experimental results with the optimized transducer produced a 35 percent reduction of the open-loop RMS value or 3.73 dB. The first acoustic resonance coupled well with the first structural mode of the transducer providing optimal noise suppression for the first mode. Damping was also noted in the second acoustic mode. Neglecting the inertia of the tip mass introduced errors in the predictions of the transducer resonances at higher frequencies. This problem limited the ability to control the higher modes of the cavity. / Master of Science

No description available.

No description available.

Large electric transformers such as those used in high voltage substations radiate an annoying low frequency hum into nearby communities. Attempts have been made to actively control the noise by placing a large number of loudspeakers as control sources around noisy transformers to cancel the hum. These cancellation systems require a large number of loudspeakers to be successful due to the imposing size of the transformer structures. Thus such systems are very expensive if global noise reduction is to be achieved. The aim of this thesis is to investigate theoretically and experimentally the use of thin perforated panels closely placed to a heavy structure to reduce the radiation of unwanted harmonic noise. These panels can themselves be vibrated to form a control source radiating over a large surface surrounding the primary source. The problem of the equipment overheating inside the enclosure is alleviated because the holes in the panels still allow natural cooling. An initial study is carried out to determine the resonance frequencies of perforated panels. The use of previously determined effective elastic properties of the panels and Finite Element Analysis to theoretically calculate their resonance frequencies is examined. Secondly the attenuation provided by active noise control using perforated panels as control sources is explored by use of a coupled analysis, where the primary source is assumed to influence the radiation of the perforated control panel. This analysis was found to predict poorly the amount of attenuation that could be achieved, so an uncoupled analysis is undertaken, where both the primary and control sources are assumed to radiate independently of each other. Not only does this greatly simplify the theoretical analysis but it also enables prediction of attenuation levels which are comparable to those determined experimentally. The theoretical model is reformulated to enable comparison of the sound power attenuation provided by perforated panel control sources with that of traditional acoustic and structural control sources. Finally, the use of modal filtering of traditional acoustic error sensor signals to give transformed mode (or power mode) sensors is examined. The independently radiating acoustic transformed modes of the panel are determined by an eigenanalysis and a theoretical analysis is presented for a farfield acoustic power sensor system to provide a direct measurement of the total radiated acoustic power. The frequency dependence of the sensor system, and the amount of global sound power attenuation that can be achieved is examined. Experimental measurements are made to verify the theoretical model and show that a sound power sensor implemented with acoustic sensors can be used in a practical active noise control system to increase the amount of attenuation that can be achieved. Alternatively the sound power sensor can be used to reduce the number of error channels required by a control system to obtain a given level of attenuation when compared to traditional error criteria. The power mode sensor analysis is then applied to the perforated panel control system, with similar results. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Engineering (Department of Mechanical Engineering), 1996.

The purpose of this thesis is to design and implement an active noise cancellation headphone (ANC) with a feedback controller optimally designed using the linear quadratic regulator (LQR) design approach. The controller compares the audio input signal with the measured signal from a mini microphone in the headphone, and attempts to generate a control signal so that the headphone may reproduce a clean, low noise audio sound, without being interfered by the environmental noise. The control bandwidth of the ANC headphone is 100~600Hz. The controller design emphasizes the choice of a weighting function in shaping the controller gain at different frequencies, so as to achieve maximum in-band noise cancellation and low noise amplification outside the bandwidth. The experimental result shows achievable noise cancellation of maximum 25dB within the control bandwidth and a barely noticeable slight noise amplification of maximum 6dB at high frequencies and 4.5dB at inaudible low frequencies.

Large electric transformers such as those used in high voltage substations radiate an annoying low frequency hum into nearby communities. Attempts have been made to actively control the noise by placing a large number of loudspeakers as control sources around noisy transformers to cancel the hum. These cancellation systems require a large number of loudspeakers to be successful due to the imposing size of the transformer structures. Thus such systems are very expensive if global noise reduction is to be achieved. The aim of this thesis is to investigate theoretically and experimentally the use of thin perforated panels closely placed to a heavy structure to reduce the radiation of unwanted harmonic noise. These panels can themselves be vibrated to form a control source radiating over a large surface surrounding the primary source. The problem of the equipment overheating inside the enclosure is alleviated because the holes in the panels still allow natural cooling. An initial study is carried out to determine the resonance frequencies of perforated panels. The use of previously determined effective elastic properties of the panels and Finite Element Analysis to theoretically calculate their resonance frequencies is examined. Secondly the attenuation provided by active noise control using perforated panels as control sources is explored by use of a coupled analysis, where the primary source is assumed to influence the radiation of the perforated control panel. This analysis was found to predict poorly the amount of attenuation that could be achieved, so an uncoupled analysis is undertaken, where both the primary and control sources are assumed to radiate independently of each other. Not only does this greatly simplify the theoretical analysis but it also enables prediction of attenuation levels which are comparable to those determined experimentally. The theoretical model is reformulated to enable comparison of the sound power attenuation provided by perforated panel control sources with that of traditional acoustic and structural control sources. Finally, the use of modal filtering of traditional acoustic error sensor signals to give transformed mode (or power mode) sensors is examined. The independently radiating acoustic transformed modes of the panel are determined by an eigenanalysis and a theoretical analysis is presented for a farfield acoustic power sensor system to provide a direct measurement of the total radiated acoustic power. The frequency dependence of the sensor system, and the amount of global sound power attenuation that can be achieved is examined. Experimental measurements are made to verify the theoretical model and show that a sound power sensor implemented with acoustic sensors can be used in a practical active noise control system to increase the amount of attenuation that can be achieved. Alternatively the sound power sensor can be used to reduce the number of error channels required by a control system to obtain a given level of attenuation when compared to traditional error criteria. The power mode sensor analysis is then applied to the perforated panel control system, with similar results. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Engineering (Department of Mechanical Engineering), 1996.

Large electric transformers such as those used in high voltage substations radiate an annoying low frequency hum into nearby communities. Attempts have been made to actively control the noise by placing a large number of loudspeakers as control sources around noisy transformers to cancel the hum. These cancellation systems require a large number of loudspeakers to be successful due to the imposing size of the transformer structures. Thus such systems are very expensive if global noise reduction is to be achieved. The aim of this thesis is to investigate theoretically and experimentally the use of thin perforated panels closely placed to a heavy structure to reduce the radiation of unwanted harmonic noise. These panels can themselves be vibrated to form a control source radiating over a large surface surrounding the primary source. The problem of the equipment overheating inside the enclosure is alleviated because the holes in the panels still allow natural cooling. An initial study is carried out to determine the resonance frequencies of perforated panels. The use of previously determined effective elastic properties of the panels and Finite Element Analysis to theoretically calculate their resonance frequencies is examined. Secondly the attenuation provided by active noise control using perforated panels as control sources is explored by use of a coupled analysis, where the primary source is assumed to influence the radiation of the perforated control panel. This analysis was found to predict poorly the amount of attenuation that could be achieved, so an uncoupled analysis is undertaken, where both the primary and control sources are assumed to radiate independently of each other. Not only does this greatly simplify the theoretical analysis but it also enables prediction of attenuation levels which are comparable to those determined experimentally. The theoretical model is reformulated to enable comparison of the sound power attenuation provided by perforated panel control sources with that of traditional acoustic and structural control sources. Finally, the use of modal filtering of traditional acoustic error sensor signals to give transformed mode (or power mode) sensors is examined. The independently radiating acoustic transformed modes of the panel are determined by an eigenanalysis and a theoretical analysis is presented for a farfield acoustic power sensor system to provide a direct measurement of the total radiated acoustic power. The frequency dependence of the sensor system, and the amount of global sound power attenuation that can be achieved is examined. Experimental measurements are made to verify the theoretical model and show that a sound power sensor implemented with acoustic sensors can be used in a practical active noise control system to increase the amount of attenuation that can be achieved. Alternatively the sound power sensor can be used to reduce the number of error channels required by a control system to obtain a given level of attenuation when compared to traditional error criteria. The power mode sensor analysis is then applied to the perforated panel control system, with similar results. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Engineering (Department of Mechanical Engineering), 1996.

The work presented in this thesis can be divided into two main subjects. First, lightweight designs for acoustic devices such as Helmholtz resonators and loudspeakers used for noise control in rocket payload compartments are developed. Second, active control using a hybrid control system (with structural and acoustic actuators) was tested experimentally. Due to the weight limitations for this application, Helmholtz resonators and loudspeakers are re-designed in order to reduce the device weight as much as possible while maintaining performance. For Helmholtz resonators, this is done by modeling the resonator for different structural shapes, wall materials and wall thicknesses using a finite element analysis software. The final design is then compared to the rigid resonators and is shown to perform effectively. These designs are then successfully applied to the full-scale fairing at Boeing facilities. In order to design a lightweight loudspeaker, a comparative approach was used. A standard 12' loudspeaker is taken as the reference loudspeaker and weight reduction solutions are applied to it while maintaining performance. The loudspeaker is characterized using mechanical, electrical and acoustical theories, and an optimization process is applied in order to minimize a defined cost function, which was taken as the total sound pressure output over a targeted frequency range per mass of the actuator. The results are used to build a lightweight loudspeaker together with a lightweight box, and the new designs are tested for comparison with the reference loudspeaker and shown to increase performance by 1.7 dB over 60-200 Hz band while reducing the mass by 78%. The second part of this thesis investigates the performance of a hybrid active control treatment featuring distributed vibration absorbers (DAVAs) and loudspeakers applied on a scale payload fairing. Several aspects such as causality, reference signals, and maximum controllable levels of this feedforward control scheme are the subjects of analyses. The results show that this active control approach can achieve significant amount of interior noise attenuation, and the total actuator weight required to control an external level of 138 dB can be reduced to 9.2kg using lightweight loudspeakers. However, it is shown that the attenuation levels can still be improved further by actuator positioning that gives more effective coupling of the actuators with the structural and acoustic modes and by using multiple references for the control system. / Master of Science

The aim of the thesis is to upgrade an existing Remote Laboratory for Active Noise Control (ANC) and acoustics experiments providing users with a more authentic real life experience. This is done by designing a solution that allows remote position control of microphones inside a ventilation duct for ANC experiments. The suggested features to be implemented substantially improve the flexibility of the existing remote laboratory, based on the Virtual Instrument System in Reality (VISIR) platform, as well as providing more control over the system as a whole. The work in the project may be divided into the following steps: theoretical design of mechanical and electrical parts of the system along with control algorithms which include a study of similar solutions and related work, implementation of designed system, subsequent testing of the system, connecting the implemented system to the equipment for remote communication and adding the appropriate features to the remote control interface.

The harmful effects of aircraft noise, with respect to both comfort and occupational health, have long since been recognised, with many examples of sound control now implemented in commercial aircraft. However, the single engine light aircraft cabin is still an extremely noisy environment, which apparently has been side-lined by both cost and weight constraints, especially with respect to low frequency sound reduction. Consequently, pilots and passengers of these aircraft are still exposed to potentially damaging noise levels and hearing damage can only be avoided by the proper use of ear defenders. Minimisation of the noise around the occupants of the aircraft reduces the dependency of personal ear defenders and is conducive to a more comfortable, hygienic and less stressful environment. This thesis describes the basis of a theoretical and experimental project, directed at the design and evaluation of a practical active noise control (ANC) system suitable for a single engine light aircraft. Results from initial experiments conducted in a single engine aircraft demonstrated the viability of ANC for this application. However, the extreme noise, the highly damped cabin, the multiple tone excitation, the severe weight limitations and the requirement of air worthiness certification severely complicated the problem of achieving noise reduction throughout the entire aircraft cabin. Compromising the objective to only achieving local control around the occupants still presented difficulties because the region of attenuated noise around the error sensors was so small that a nearby observer experienced no sound level reduction whatsoever. The objective was therefore to move the control zone away from the error sensor and place a broad envelope of noise reduction immediately around the occupant's head, through the use of virtual sensors , thus creating the perception of global noise control. While virtual sensors are not new (Garcia-Bonito et al. (1996)), they are currently limited to acoustic pressure estimation (virtual microphones) via the initial measurement of an observer / sensor transfer function. In this research, new virtual sensor algorithms have been developed to: 1. minimise the sound level at the observer location, 2. broaden the control region, 3. adapt to any physical system changes and 4. produce a control zone that may ultimately follow an observer's head The performance of the virtual sensors were evaluated both analytically and experimentally in progressively more complex environments to identify their capabilities and limitations. It was found that the use of virtual sensors would, in general, attenuate the noise at the observer location more effectively than when using conventional remotely placed error sensors. Such a control strategy was considered to be ideal for a light single engine aircraft, because it would only require small light speakers (possibly fitted into a head-rest) to achieve a broad control zone that envelopes the region around the occupants heads. / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering), 2000.