A numerical technique for obtaining SEA coupling loss factors in double walls

Abstract

Double walls usually consist of two leaves of material connected by steel studs. Aside from improving the structural performance, studs create a vibration transmission path which connects the two leaves. There is interest in reliable models of the acoustic performance of these structures, for the frequency range required in regulations. Statistical energy analysis allows reaching high frequencies with a low computational cost. However, the best SEA approach for modelling double walls is not clear in the literature. The cavity may be considered as a subsystem or treated as a connecting device between the two leaves. The effect of the cavity is also often neglected compared to the coupling provided by the studs. In this work, numerical techniques are used to evaluate these approaches and to define a combined deterministic–statistical approach that accounts for all the transmission phenomena.