A Domain Imbedding Method with Distributed Lagrange Multipliers for Acoustic Scattering Problems

The numerical computation of acoustic scattering by bounded twodimensional obstacles is considered. A domain imbedding method with Lagrange multipliers is introduced for the solution of the Helmholtz equation with a second-order absorbing boundary condition. Distributed Lagrange multipliers are used to enforce the Dirichlet boundary condition on the scatterer. The saddle-point problem arising from the conforming finite element discretization is iteratively solved by the GMRES method with a block triangular preconditioner. Numerical experiments are performed with a disc and a semi-open cavity as scatterers.

Controllability method for acoustic scattering with spectral elements

We formulate the Helmholtz equation as an exact controllability problem for the time-dependent wave equation. The problem is then discretized in time domain with central finite difference scheme and in space domain with spectral elements. This approach leads to high accuracy in spatial discretization. Moreover, the spectral element method results in diagonal mass matrices, which makes the time integration of the wave equation highly efficient. After discretization, the exact controllability problem is reformulated as a least-squares problem, which is solved by the conjugate gradient method. We illustrate the method with some numerical experiments, which demonstrate the significant improveme…

An algebraic multigrid based shifted-Laplacian preconditioner for the Helmholtz equation

A preconditioner defined by an algebraic multigrid cycle for a damped Helmholtz operator is proposed for the Helmholtz equation. This approach is well suited for acoustic scattering problems in complicated computational domains and with varying material properties. The spectral properties of the preconditioned systems and the convergence of the GMRES method are studied with linear, quadratic, and cubic finite element discretizations. Numerical experiments are performed with two-dimensional problems describing acoustic scattering in a cross-section of a car cabin and in a layered medium. Asymptotically the number of iterations grows linearly with respect to the frequency while for lower freq…

Multiobjective optimization of an ultrasonic transducer using NIMBUS

The optimal design of an ultrasonic transducer is a multiobjective optimization problem since the final outcome needs to satisfy several conflicting criteria. Simulation tools are often used to avoid expensive and time-consuming experiments, but even simulations may be inefficient and lead to inadequate results if they are based only on trial and error. In this work, the interactive multiobjective optimization method NIMBUS is applied in designing a high-power ultrasonic transducer. The performance of the transducer is simulated with a finite element model, and three design goals are formulated as objective functions to be minimized. To find an appropriate compromise solution, additional pr…

Fictitious Domain Methods for the Numerical Solution of Two-Dimensional Scattering Problems

Fictitious domain methods for the numerical solution of two-dimensional scattering problems are considered. The original exterior boundary value problem is approximated by truncating the unbounded domain and by imposing a nonreflecting boundary condition on the artificial boundary. First-order, second-order, and exact nonreflecting boundary conditions are tested on rectangular and circular boundaries. The finite element discretizations of the corresponding approximate boundary value problems are performed using locally fitted meshes, and the discrete equations are solved with fictitious domain methods. A special finite element method using nonmatching meshes is considered. This method uses …

Multiobjective muffler shape optimization with hybrid acoustics modelling

Shape optimization of a duct system with respect to sound transmission loss is considered. The objective of optimization is to maximize the sound transmission loss at multiple frequency ranges simultaneously by adjusting the shape of a reactive muffler component. The noise reduction problem is formulated as a multiobjective optimization problem. The sound attenuation for each considered frequency is determined by a hybrid method, which requires solving Helmholtz equation numerically by finite element method. The optimization is performed using non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm, NSGA-II, which is a multi-objective genetic algorithm. The hybrid numerical method is flexible with respect …

Assessment of the fundamental flexural guided wave in cortical bone by an ultrasonic axial-transmission array transducer

Abstract The fundamental flexural guided wave (FFGW), as modeled, for example, by the A0 Lamb mode, is a clinically useful indicator of cortical bone thickness. In the work described in this article, we tested so-called multiridge-based analysis, based on the crazy climber algorithm and short-time Fourier transform, for assessment of the FFGW component recorded by a clinical array transducer featuring a limited number of elements. Methods included numerical finite-element simulations and experiments in bone phantoms and human radius specimens ( n  = 41). The proposed approach enabled extraction of the FFGW component and determination of its group velocity. This group velocity was in good ag…

LOCAL CONTROL OF SOUND IN STOCHASTIC DOMAINS BASED ON FINITE ELEMENT MODELS

A numerical method for optimizing the local control of sound in a stochastic domain is developed. A three-dimensional enclosed acoustic space, for example, a cabin with acoustic actuators in given locations is modeled using the finite element method in the frequency domain. The optimal local noise control signals minimizing the least square of the pressure field in the silent region are given by the solution of a quadratic optimization problem. The developed method computes a robust local noise control in the presence of randomly varying parameters such as variations in the acoustic space. Numerical examples consider the noise experienced by a vehicle driver with a varying posture. In a mod…

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Multiobjective muffler shape optimization with hybrid acoustics modelling

This paper considers the combined use of a hybrid numerical method for the modeling of acoustic mufflers and a genetic algorithm for multiobjective optimization. The hybrid numerical method provides accurate modeling of sound propagation in uniform waveguides with non-uniform obstructions. It is based on coupling a wave based modal solution in the uniform sections of the waveguide to a finite element solution in the non-uniform component. Finite element method provides flexible modeling of complicated geometries, varying material parameters, and boundary conditions, while the wave based solution leads to accurate treatment of non-reflecting boundaries and straightforward computation of the …

Time-harmonic elasticity with controllability and higher-order discretization methods

The time-harmonic solution of the linear elastic wave equation is needed for a variety of applications. The typical procedure for solving the time-harmonic elastic wave equation leads to difficulties solving large-scale indefinite linear systems. To avoid these difficulties, we consider the original time dependent equation with a method based on an exact controllability formulation. The main idea of this approach is to find initial conditions such that after one time-period, the solution and its time derivative coincide with the initial conditions.The wave equation is discretized in the space domain with spectral elements. The degrees of freedom associated with the basis functions are situa…

Controllability method for the Helmholtz equation with higher-order discretizations

We consider a controllability technique for the numerical solution of the Helmholtz equation. The original time-harmonic equation is represented as an exact controllability problem for the time-dependent wave equation. This problem is then formulated as a least-squares optimization problem, which is solved by the conjugate gradient method. Such an approach was first suggested and developed in the 1990s by French researchers and we introduce some improvements to its practical realization. We use higher-order spectral elements for spatial discretization, which leads to high accuracy and lumped mass matrices. Higher-order approximation reduces the pollution effect associated with finite elemen…