Virtual prototyping of active noise and vibration solutions

In order to bring the research results on intelligent materials to the level of industrial use in real applications, the related design processes have to become part of the complete product creation process. This requires that the product functional performance simulation models, which are the cornerstone of today's design proces, must be capable of supporting the specific aspects related to advanced materials, active systems, actuators, sensors and control and integrate these into system level virtual prototype models. More specifically, this involves developing modelling capabilities for the intelligent material systems, sensor and actuator components, for the control systems as well as for their integration in system-level application designs. The final result will then be a multi-attribute optimisation approach integrating noise and vibration performance with reliability, durability and cost aspects. It is clear that no single integrated solution will be able to fulfill all requirements of the various material and control approaches, therefor the focus of the research is on supporting as much as possible the use, combination and extension of existing codes and tools.