Journal of Vibration and Sound

Journal of Vibration and Sound

Analytical Modeling and Vibroacoustic Analysis of a Coupled Structural–Acoustic Rectangular Cavity with a Viscoelastic Flexible Plate

Document Type : research article

Authors
Vahid Khoramirad 1
Aliasghar Jafari 2
1 PhD student in Mechanical Engineering, Khajeh Nasir Toosi University of Technology
2 Professor, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Khajeh Nasir Toosi University of Technology
Abstract
This paper presents the analytical modeling and response analysis of a coupled structural-acoustic system comprising a rectangular enclosed acoustic cavity with a flexible wall and a viscoelastic layer. The system is modeled using the Rayleigh–Ritz method within the framework of structural-acoustic coupling under weak coupling conditions. The vibrational response of the flexible wall is calculated by incorporating viscoelastic damping effects, and the internal acoustic response is subsequently determined by solving the wave equation while accounting for structure–fluid interaction. To examine the influence of structural parameters and damping materials, the flexible wall thickness is varied at three levels (3, 5, and 7 mm), and the addition of a viscoelastic layer is investigated. Results indicate that wall thickness and viscoelastic properties significantly influence the vibration amplitude and internal sound pressure, effectively reducing both vibration and interior noise. The analytical results are validated against finite element simulations in ANSYS, showing good agreement and confirming the model's reliability for analyzing and designing noise and vibration reduction systems in engineering enclosures. The key novelty of this research lies in developing an analytical model that independently quantifies the contributions of plate bending stiffness and viscoelastic damping to acoustic response reduction across different frequency ranges. The model reveals that at low frequencies, the effect of plate thickness entirely dominates viscoelastic damping, whereas at high frequencies, a synergistic effect between the two is observed.
Keywords
Structural–acoustic coupling
Flexible panel
Viscoelastic layer
Analytical solution
Vibro-acoustic response
Subjects
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