Predicting noise using computational methods is a common approach in the field of acoustics, offering flexibility and results before a potentially costly installation. This project explores the possibility to calculate the change in noise level emitted from a speaker covered by a capsule, filled with porous material and positioned in two different ways, using the finite element method in the program COMSOL for low to mid frequency bands. The Helmholtz equation is solved in the air medium of the model excluding wave propagation in the solid domain of the capsule where it is present. To replicate the attenuation from porous materials in COMSOL the Delany-BazleyMiki poroacoustics model is used. Comparing the calculation to a control measurement conducted at the Marcus Wallenberg Laboratory, provisional predictions of accuracy is given in groups of configurations and in 1/3-octave bands. Using the available computational power in a common office computer it might be difficult to accurately portray the real-world installation since it might be necessary to alter geometric region, physics or frequency rangedue to runtime issues resulting in deviating results. / Att förutspå ljuddämpning med hjälp av beräkningsmetoder är ett vanligt arbetssätt inom akustik som bidrar till flexibilitet och resultat innan en potentiellt kostsam installation. Det här projektet utforskar möjligheten att beräkna förändringen i ljudnivå från en högtalare som är täckt utav en kapsel fylld utav poröst material. Kapseln är placerad i två olika konfigurationer och finita element metoden används genom programmet comsol för att räkna ut ljudnivåer i låg och medelhöga frekvensband. Helmholtz ekvation löses i luftmediet som omger kapseln och högtalaren och Delany-Bazleys modell för porösa material används, vilken finns tillgänglig i COMSOL. Jämförelsen mellan beräkningen och en kontrollmätning gjord i Marcus Wallenbergs Laboratorium ger indikation på precisionen hos modellen, vilket visas i tersband. Med beräkningskraften hos en konventionell kontorsdator kan det vara svårt att noggrant beskriva den verkliga installationen där avsteg från verkligheten ofta handlar om förenklad geometri och fysik eller förändrat frekvensspann för att förhindra eskalerande problem med programmets körtid vilket leder till avvikande resultat.

Excessive fluid-borne noise in hydraulic systems is a problem the fluid power industry has long struggled to address. Traditional noise control devices such as Helmholtz resonators, tuning coils, and Herschel-Quincke tubes are generally too large for fluid power systems unless the speed of sound in the device can be reduced. A compliant lining can achieve this effect, but compliance (and lossy compliance) has had little attention in noise control in general, and in fluid power in particular. One means to achieve compliance in these devices, especially at elevated pressures, is through a liner made of syntactic foam, which in this case is a urethane host matrix with embedded hollow, polymer microspheres. The material properties at elevated pressure are unknown by the liner manufacturer, but are known to be pressure- and temperature-dependent. Therefore, the effect of hydrostatic pressures from 2.1-21 MPa and temperatures from 20-45 C on the liner properties, thus the device performance, are studied. For a Helmholtz resonator, a theoretical model is fit to experimentally-measured transmission loss of the device using a least-squares routine, which solves the inverse problem for the complex bulk modulus of the liner. These material properties are used to compare a predictive model of a tuning coil to experimental data, and in a parameter study of a Herschel-Quincke tube. The compliance of the liner is found to lower the effective sound speed by an order of magnitude and decrease the volume of the cavity of a Helmholtz resonator by up to two orders of magnitude. This work is expected to result is more compact noise control devices for fluid power systems.

L’amélioration des performances aérodynamiques et environnementales est un enjeu majeur dans le domaine des transports terrestres et aériens. Pour pouvoir répondre à ses exigences, une des solutions est de contrôler les écoulements. Pour cela, des actionneurs performants sont nécessaires. Une technique innovante, le jet synthétique par plasma (JSP), consiste à appliquer une décharge haute tension dans une micro cavité. Un plasma est ainsi créé dans la chambre augmentant en quelques microsecondes la température et la pression du gaz générant un micro-jet par l’orifice de l’actionneur. Le but de la thèse est de développer cet actionneur, d’en comprendre son fonctionnement et de le mettre en oeuvre pour contrôler le bruit d’un jet subsonique à grand nombre de Mach.La première partie de l’étude s’applique à définir les besoins pour le contrôle d’écoulement et de réaliser un prototype d’actionneur. Il est ensuite caractérisé expérimentalement par des mesures de la décharge électrique et de l’aérodynamique du micro-jet. En s’inspirant du modèle de Braginskii, un modèle simple de la décharge électrique est réalisé et appliqué au JSP. Le rendement de l’actionneur en est déduit. Le modèle de Braginskii modifié est ensuite couplé à une modélisation URANS ce qui permet de simuler le fonctionnement en fréquence de l’actionneur. Ces résultats sont ensuite comparés avec les mesures de l’aérodynamique du micro-jet et montrent un excellent accord.L’actionneur est ensuite mis en application pour contrôler le bruit de jet. En premier lieu, des visualisations par strioscopie de l’interaction des micro-jets avec le jet principal sont effectuées. Des mesures acoustiques sont ensuite réalisées etmettent en évidence que les JSP sont de bons candidats pour contrôler le bruit de jet. / Improvement of aerodynamics and environmental performances is a major issue for terrestrial and aeronautical industry.For fulfilling increasing demand, one of the answers is flow control. To achieve flow control, high performance actuators are needed. An innovative technique called Plasma Synthetic Jet actuator consists on applying an electrical discharge in asmall cavity. Plasma is created and increases gas temperature and pressure which results on the creation of a micro-jet through cavity opening.The PhD objectives are to develop the PSJ actuator, to describe actuator mechanisms and to apply it for controlling noise of a high subsonic jet. The first part of the study consists on defining flow control needs and on developing a PSJ actuator prototype. Then,actuator performances are characterised using electrical measurements of the discharge and using aerodynamic measurements. These measurements show that an electrical model of the discharge is needed. Based on the Braginskii model, a simple model is carried out and is applied to the actuator. Efficiency of the PSJ is deduced.The modified Braginskii model is then coupled with an URANS model to achieve frequency modelling of the actuator. Results match aerodynamics measurements .PSJ actuators are applied for controlling jet noise in a second part of the study. Schlieren visualisations are used to show micro-jet interaction with the main jet. Acoustic measurements are then performed and show that the PSJ is a goodactuator to control high subsonic jet noise.

<p>Generally, heavier noise control treatments are favored over lighter ones since heavier acoustical materials tend to insulate (block) noise sources more effectively than do lighter materials. In automotive applications, however, heavier materials cannot always be adopted because of concerns over the total weight of the vehicle. Thus, it would be useful to identify lightweight acoustical treatments that can mitigate vehicle interior noise. Automotive sound packages have both absorption and barrier characteristics, and there is inevitably a trade-off between these two. Therefore, it is important to study the exchange between the absorption and transmission of acoustical materials particularly as it pertains to weight. Here, a procedure based on plane wave analysis is described that can be used to identify weight reduction opportunities by adjusting the acoustical properties of a generic sound package, consisting of a fibrous layer and a flexible microperforated panel surface treatment, so that it meets a target sound pressure level in a downstream interior space. It has been found, for the configuration studied here, that there are lightweight sound package configurations that can maintain acoustical performance equivalent to that of heavier noise treatments, and further, it has been found that the lightest treatments tend to favor barrier performance rather than absorption. Further, the impact of acoustical leaks has been considered, and it has been found that even very small leaks can result in a very substantial weight penalty if a specified level of acoustical performance is to be ensured. Further, the impact of changing the underlying panel mass and altering the frequency weighting used in the optimization process has also been considered.</p> <p>The optimizer used in the proposed procedure requires considerable calculation time; hence, the acoustic pressure calculation time needs to be minimized to enhance the efficiency of the solution process. Thus, the transfer matrix method (TMM) for a two-dimensional case was used to calculate the interior acoustic pressure for a simple geometry as a starting point in the process of identifying the minimum-weight sound packages. The TMM is a widely used analytical approach to predicting the sound pressure (and particle velocity) for a system that can be represented as a series of subsystems. Although the TMM can offer fast and simple calculations for the acoustic system, its application is limited to a plane-wave-based model. Thus, the TMM is not the best option for the acoustic pressure prediction in a complex geometry such as a vehicle interior, that involves non-planar wave propagation. Therefore, a hybrid TMM-FEA method is proposed in this research to evaluate the acoustical performance of the sound package in more complex geometries (here, a vehicle-like cavity). So, in this research, the TMM was introduced to obtain the initial solutions that can be used in conjunction with the FEA tool to calculate the sound pressure field in the complex geometry case. The correlation between the results of these two approaches was then analyzed to develop a space-averaged pressure prediction model for various absorptive cases in the interior space. Finally, this SAP prediction model was used to generate an acoustic map that can be used to graphically estimate the SAPs in the complex geometry case.</p> <p>In order to validate the usage of the developed equation for different sets of boundary conditions, several case studies were performed to study the effects of the surface impedance arrangements, geometrical shapes, and, lastly, the presence of extra features in the interior space. Finally, the SAP difference between the area near the driver’s right ear and the total interior cavity was studied to show that the SAP of the total cavity can be adjusted to evaluate the acoustic performance of the sound packages along the lines of conventional industry practice. </p>

É cada vez maior a preocupação com a poluição sonora gerada pelos transformadores de potência de subestações elétricas. Atualmente, o controle desse tipo de ruído é feito utilizando-se métodos passivos, que são caros e dificultam a manutenção dos transformadores. Uma alternativa para os métodos passivos é o controle ativo de ruído (ANC). Apesar de extensas pesquisas realizadas nas últimas três décadas, ainda não existem soluções comercialmente viáveis para o ANC de transformadores. As dificuldades para a aplicação bem sucedida do ANC para transformadores foram investigadas por meio de simulações e de testes com protótipo. Os três maiores obstáculos identificados foram: o posicionamento dos transdutores eletroacústicos; a obtenção de atenuação em uma região longe do transformador, usando um número reduzido de fontes de controle e de sensores de erro, os últimos colocados ainda na região de campo acústico próximo; e a identificação robusta do caminho secundário com baixa razão sinal/ruído. Os dois primeiros problemas foram abordados, analisando-se algumas alternativas de soluções. Algoritmos genéticos (GA) foram utilizados para a otimização da posição dos transdutores do sistema ANC. O desempenho desses algoritmos depende fortemente da modelagem acústica realizada e verificou-se que o método de Usry, escolhido para modelar o campo primário do transformador, não forneceu estimativa adequada. Usando um modelo mais simples de fonte primária, constatou-se a importância da função de mérito para o desempenho do GA. Também foi verificado que a otimização conjunta das posições dos transdutores fornece o mesmo resultado, e em menor tempo, que a otimização das posições das fontes de controle e dos sensores de erro separadamente. Simulações realizadas com uma nova estratégia de sensores virtuais (baseada no janelamento das fontes de controle) mostra que é possível aumentar o nível de atenuação longe do transformador, mesmo com um número pequeno de fontes de controle e sensores de erro. Testes com um protótipo de sistema ANC foram feitos em laboratório e em campo e os resultados desses testes são discutidos detalhadamente. / Concern regarding noise pollution caused by power transformers in electrical substations is increasing. Nowadays, this kind of noise is controlled using passive methods, which are expensive and make transformer maintenance more difficult. An alternative to passive methods is active noise control (ANC). However, despite extensive research undertaken in the last three decades, there is still no viable commercial solution for the active control of transformer noise. The difficulties for a successful implementation of an ANC solution in the case of power transformer noise are investigated through simulations and tests with a prototype. The three main obstacles found were: the positioning of the electro-acoustic transducers; the achievement of sufficient attenuation in a region far from the transformer, using a small number of control sources and error sensors (when the latter are positioned on the region of acoustic near-field); and the robust identification of the secondary path in a low signal/noise situation. The two former problems were dealt with, and some alternative solutions were analyzed. Genetic algorithms (GA) were used for the optimization of the transducers\' position. The performance of these algorithms is strongly related to the acoustical model used and it was verified that the Usry method, used for modelling the transformers primary field, did not result in an adequate estimate. Using a simplified model for the primary source, the importance of the cost function in the GA\'s performance was made evident. It was also verified that the joint optimization of transducers\' position provides the same result, and in shorter time, as the independent optimization of control source and error sensor positions. Simulations with a new virtual sensor strategy (based on windowing the control sources) show that it is possible to increase attenuation levels in a region far from the transformer, even with a small number of control sources and error sensors. Laboratory and field tests with an ANC system prototype were undertaken and the results of these tests are thoroughly discussed.

Cette thèse porte sur le contrôle acoustique actif (ANC) dans une cavité. L’objectif est d’atténuer l’effet d’une onde sonore perturbatrice en des points ou dans un volume. Ceci est réalisé à l’aide d’un contre-bruit généré, par exemple, par un haut-parleur. Cette étude requiert l’utilisation de modèles dynamiques rendant compte de l’évolution des pressions aux points d’intérêt en fonction des bruits exogènes. Ce modèle peut être obtenu par une identification fréquentielle des réponses point-à-point ou en utilisant le modèle physique sous jacent (équation des ondes). Dans ce dernier cas, la recherche d'un modèle de dimension finie est souvent un préalable à l’étude conceptuelle d'un système d’ANC. Les contributions de cette thèse portent donc sur l’élaboration de différents modèles simplifiés paramétrés par la position pour les systèmes acoustiques et sur la conception de lois de commande pour l’ANC. Le premier volet de la thèse est dédié à l’élaboration de différents modèles simplifiés de système de propagation acoustique au sein d’une cavité. Pour cela, les simplifications envisagées peuvent être de nature spatiale autant que fréquentielle. Nous montrons notamment qu'il est possible, sous certaines conditions, d’approximer le système 3D par un système 1D. Ceci a été mis en évidence expérimentalement sur le banc d’essai LS2NBox. Le second volet porte sur la conception de lois de commande. En premier lieu, les stratégies de commandes couramment utilisées pour l’ANC sont comparées. L'effet dela commande multi-objectif H en différents points voisins des points d'atténuation est analysé. La possibilité d’une annulation parfaitedu bruit en un point est aussi discutée. / This thesis deals with active noise control (ANC) in a cavity. The aim is to mitigate the effect of a disturbing sound wave at some points or in a volume. This is achieved using ananti-noise generated, for example, by a loudspeaker. This study requires the use of dynamic models that report changes in pressure at points of interest in response to exogenous noises. Such models can be obtained by frequency identification of point-to-point responses or by using the underlying physical model (wave equation). In the latter case, the search for a low-complexity model (finite dimensional model) is often a prerequisite for the conceptual study of an active control system. The contributions of this thesis concern the development of different simplified models parameterized by the spatial position for acoustic systems, and the design of control laws for noise attenuation. The first part of the thesis is dedicated to the development of various simplified models of acoustic propagation system within a cavity. For that, the simplifications envisaged can be of spatial nature as much as frequential. We show in particular that it is possible, under certain conditions, to approximate the 3D system by a 1D system. This has been demonstrated experimentally on the prototype system, LS2NBox. The second part of the thesis deals with the design of control laws. First, the control strategies commonly used for ANC are compared. The effect of multi-objective H control at different spatial positions close to the attenuation points is analyzed. The possibility of perfect noise cancellation at one point is also discussed.

É cada vez maior a preocupação com a poluição sonora gerada pelos transformadores de potência de subestações elétricas. Atualmente, o controle desse tipo de ruído é feito utilizando-se métodos passivos, que são caros e dificultam a manutenção dos transformadores. Uma alternativa para os métodos passivos é o controle ativo de ruído (ANC). Apesar de extensas pesquisas realizadas nas últimas três décadas, ainda não existem soluções comercialmente viáveis para o ANC de transformadores. As dificuldades para a aplicação bem sucedida do ANC para transformadores foram investigadas por meio de simulações e de testes com protótipo. Os três maiores obstáculos identificados foram: o posicionamento dos transdutores eletroacústicos; a obtenção de atenuação em uma região longe do transformador, usando um número reduzido de fontes de controle e de sensores de erro, os últimos colocados ainda na região de campo acústico próximo; e a identificação robusta do caminho secundário com baixa razão sinal/ruído. Os dois primeiros problemas foram abordados, analisando-se algumas alternativas de soluções. Algoritmos genéticos (GA) foram utilizados para a otimização da posição dos transdutores do sistema ANC. O desempenho desses algoritmos depende fortemente da modelagem acústica realizada e verificou-se que o método de Usry, escolhido para modelar o campo primário do transformador, não forneceu estimativa adequada. Usando um modelo mais simples de fonte primária, constatou-se a importância da função de mérito para o desempenho do GA. Também foi verificado que a otimização conjunta das posições dos transdutores fornece o mesmo resultado, e em menor tempo, que a otimização das posições das fontes de controle e dos sensores de erro separadamente. Simulações realizadas com uma nova estratégia de sensores virtuais (baseada no janelamento das fontes de controle) mostra que é possível aumentar o nível de atenuação longe do transformador, mesmo com um número pequeno de fontes de controle e sensores de erro. Testes com um protótipo de sistema ANC foram feitos em laboratório e em campo e os resultados desses testes são discutidos detalhadamente. / Concern regarding noise pollution caused by power transformers in electrical substations is increasing. Nowadays, this kind of noise is controlled using passive methods, which are expensive and make transformer maintenance more difficult. An alternative to passive methods is active noise control (ANC). However, despite extensive research undertaken in the last three decades, there is still no viable commercial solution for the active control of transformer noise. The difficulties for a successful implementation of an ANC solution in the case of power transformer noise are investigated through simulations and tests with a prototype. The three main obstacles found were: the positioning of the electro-acoustic transducers; the achievement of sufficient attenuation in a region far from the transformer, using a small number of control sources and error sensors (when the latter are positioned on the region of acoustic near-field); and the robust identification of the secondary path in a low signal/noise situation. The two former problems were dealt with, and some alternative solutions were analyzed. Genetic algorithms (GA) were used for the optimization of the transducers\' position. The performance of these algorithms is strongly related to the acoustical model used and it was verified that the Usry method, used for modelling the transformers primary field, did not result in an adequate estimate. Using a simplified model for the primary source, the importance of the cost function in the GA\'s performance was made evident. It was also verified that the joint optimization of transducers\' position provides the same result, and in shorter time, as the independent optimization of control source and error sensor positions. Simulations with a new virtual sensor strategy (based on windowing the control sources) show that it is possible to increase attenuation levels in a region far from the transformer, even with a small number of control sources and error sensors. Laboratory and field tests with an ANC system prototype were undertaken and the results of these tests are thoroughly discussed.

The hospital sound environment is complex. Emergency Departments (EDs), in particular, have proven to be hectic work environments populated with diverse sound sources. Medical equipment, alarms, and communication events generate noise that can interfere with staff concentration and communication. In this study, sound measurements and analyses were conducted in six hospitals total: three civilian hospitals in Atlanta, Georgia and Dublin, Ohio, as well as three Washington, DC-area hospitals in the Military Health System (MHS). The equivalent, minimum, and maximum sound pressure levels were recorded over twenty-four hours in several locations in each ED, with shorter 15-30 minute measurements performed in other areas. Acoustic descriptors, such as spectral content, level distributions, and speech intelligibility were examined. The perception of these acoustic qualities by hospital staff was also evaluated through subjective surveys. It was found that noise levels in both work areas and patient rooms were excessive. Additionally, speech intelligibility measurements and survey results show that background noise presents a significant obstacle in effective communication between staff members and patients. Compared to previous studies, this study looks at a wider range of acoustic metrics and the corresponding perceptions of staff in order to form a more precise and accurate depiction of the ED sound environment.

The objective of the dissertation research is to investigate noise reduction methods for binaural hearing aids based on array and statistical signal processing and inspired by a human auditory model. In digital hearing aids, wide dynamic range compression (WDRC) is the most successful technique to deal with monaural hearing losses. This WDRC processing is usually performed after a monaural noise reduction algorithm. When hearing losses are present in both ears, i.e., a binaural hearing loss, independent monaural hearing aids have been shown not to be comfortable for most users, preferring a processing that involves synchronization between both hearing devices. In addition, psycho-acoustical studies have identified that under hostile environments, e.g., babble noise at very low SNR conditions, users prefer to use linear amplification rather than WDRC. In this sense, the noise reduction algorithm becomes an important component of a digital hearing aid to provide improvement in speech intelligibility and user comfort. Including a wireless link between both hearing aids offers new ways to implement more efficient methods to reduce the background noise and coordinate processing for the two ears. This approach, called binaural hearing aid, has been recently introduced in some commercial products but using very simple processing strategies. This research analyzes the existing binaural noise-reduction techniques, proposes novel perceptually-inspired methods based on blind source separation (BSS) and multichannel Wiener filter (MWF), and identifies different strategies for the real-time implementation of these methods. The proposed methods perform efficient spatial filtering, improve SNR and speech intelligibility, minimize block processing artifacts, and can be implemented in low-power architectures.

The expected rise in aviation demand requires the reduction of the environmental impacts that impede this desired growth, such as fuel burn, emissions, and airport noise. A number of current technology programs attempt to identify, evaluate, and select the environmental technology solutions for the coming decades. Fleet-level evaluation will be essential to deciding between various technology options because it provides a system-level assessment that clarifies the effect of operational and policy variables. Fleet-level modeling in general, introduces various complexities, and detailed fleet-level models require significant time and computing resources to execute. With a large number of potential technology options available for assessment, a full detailed analysis of the technology space is infeasible. Therefore, a simplified fleet-level environmental evaluation methodology is required to select scenarios to carry forward for detailed modeling. Capabilities such as the Global and Regional Environmental Aviation Tradeoff (GREAT) tool, have achieved rapid simplified fleet-level analysis for fuel burn and emissions, but currently lack a satisfactory generic framework to evaluate fleet-level noise. The primary objective of this research is to formulate and implement a generic fleet-level noise methodology that allows decision makers to analyze the fleet-level impact of many technology scenarios on the quantity of noise, and also its distribution about certain airport types. This information can be leveraged to provide screening assessments of technology impacts earlier in the decision-making process, reserving more sophisticated modeling techniques for the most promising scenarios. The capability gaps identified are addressed by the development of a rapid generic fleet-level noise model that captures basic airport noise contour shape and contour area, a categorization of airports with respect to their operational and infrastructure characteristics, and the development of shape metrics that enable rapid classification and comparison of contour shapes. Once the capability gaps were addressed, the resultant System-Wide Assessment of Noise (SWAN) methodology was implemented via use cases to demonstrate the application of the methodology, examining the introduction of a set of possible near-term (N+1) future technologies into the forecast. While these examples are simplified and notional, they demonstrate the types of analyses and investigations that can be performed with the SWAN methodology, providing answers regarding the impact of technologies on contour shapes. The development, verification, validation, and demonstration of these capabilities complete a framework for evaluating fleet-level noise at the screening-level that retains the ability to capture and effectively discuss shape information beyond the capability of current screening-level noise evaluation techniques. By developing a rapid generic fleet-level noise model, a set of Generic Airports, and metrics that objectively quantify and describe shape, decision-makers can access greater levels of information, including the critical facet of contour shape in fleet-level airport noise.