Power flow sensitivity analysis for optimal structural modification

Across many industries there is a need to develop products with improved vibro-acoustic performance. Whether the aim is to reduce the radiated sound level in a vehicle cabin, or to minimise the vibration level of sensitive components, the problem may be interpreted as an issue of power transmission from vibration generating components to receiving structures. Interest thus lies in how best to modify a structure, typically the separating interface between active and passive components, to reduce transmitted power. The 'best' modification is interpreted here as the one that achieves the greatest reduction in transmitted power, for the smallest necessary modification. In the present paper we consider power transmission from a component-based perspective, and propose a sensitivity analysis to determine a) the optimum structural modifications (e.g. added mass, stiffness or damping) and b) to which degrees of freedom these should be applied. Numerical and experimental examples demonstrate the proposed method.& COPY; 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).