Acoustics & Vibrations Blog Posts
Starting Small with Sonar Dome Design
Starting the design process by testing on a small scale is often the best way to tackle issues affecting large objects, like a ship. Detailed in COMSOL News 2013, researchers at INSEAN, The Italian Ship Model Basin, used small-scale testing and then simulation to analyze the effect of placing a sonar system within the bulbous bow at the hull of a ship. Using a small-scale model of a bulbous bow, the researchers at INSEAN performed fluid-structure interaction experiments, and subsequently […]
Modeling Magnetostriction Using COMSOL Multiphysics®
If you have ever stood next to a transformer, you have probably heard a humming sound coming from it and wondered if there were bees close by. When you hear that sound the next time, you can rest assured that it’s not bees but the magnetostriction of the transformer core that is making that humming sound.
Tuning an Orchestra with the Help of Multiphysics Simulation
Multiphysics applications are all around us. Consider, for example, a setting where science may be the last thing on our minds: a music concert. You might be enjoying the slight sinusoidal variations in atmospheric pressure we call sound waves, or music, but those pressure variations must come from somewhere. In fact, they are due to a multiphysics effect where sinusoidal structural vibrations in an object disturb the surrounding air, causing pressure variations in the air that then propagate outward and […]
Acoustics Tutorial for Modeling Organ Pipe Design
The way the sound is shaped as it passes through the pipe of an organ is the result of a carefully calculated and intricate pipe design. Browsing through the Model Gallery, I came across a model of an organ pipe, and it happens to be a great acoustics tutorial for using the Pipe Acoustics, Frequency Domain interface in COMSOL Multiphysics. Let’s talk organ pipe design, and walk through how we can model it with multiphysics software.
Modeling Acoustic Damping Processes
Mufflers are often located in exhaust systems or on heat, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, where their key functionality is to dampen the noise that is emitted from the system. A correct description of the acoustic damping (absorption and attenuation) processes in the muffler is important when designing and modeling these systems.
Calling All Audiophiles: Loudspeaker Analysis Video
When given the choice, we’d all prefer our loudspeakers to project perfect sound; having a phone conversation with someone who sounds like a robot caught in a windstorm is less than ideal. The quality of the sound is, naturally, dependent on how well the speaker is designed, and COMSOL Multiphysics is the perfect tool to simulate and optimize loudspeaker designs because of its easy-to-use multiphysics nature. For a loudspeaker analysis to be accurate, you must be able to simulate from […]
Acoustofluidic Multiphysics Problem: Microparticle Acoustophoresis
The use of acoustic waves to manipulate suspensions of particles, such as cells, has inspired the work of many researchers, paving the way for the field of ultrasound acoustofluidics. The manipulation is achieved in many ways, including using bulk acoustic waves (BAW) and surface acoustic waves (SAW), as well as acoustic radiation forces and acoustic streaming-induced drag. The latter two combine to produce the acoustophoretic motion of the suspended particles; i.e., movement by means of sound, and the methods provide […]
Multiphysics Simulation for Better and Faster Sonar Development
SOund NAvigation Ranging, or Sonar, has been an important part of naval warfare and since the 1950’s. Although it is a relatively simple way to locate objects, it’s the best for doing so in water, emitting sound waves and listening for echoes made by objects in the water. In today’s world of undersea warfare, the threats and the necessary responses to them are becoming more important and urgent. Sonar systems are required to detect these threats, making it necessary for […]