Fast statistical energy analysis modelling of periodic box-like structures

This paper proposes a fast way to create a base Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) model for periodic box-like structures, for which further refining and modification can be conducted with simplicity. A novel numbering system is introduced which enables the model builder to build, locate and change the property of each subsystem as well as to specify the connections between different subsystems in a 3D coordinate system. Two numerical SEA models are studied with the aid of the new method. It greatly decreases the time in model building and increases the simplicity of studying the acoustic attenuation by changing the properties of different subsystems. The results show that when increasing the internal loss factors (ILF) of all structural elements from 0.015 to 0.12, a 13.5 dB sound insulation improvement can be observed for the 2-room system at 1000 Hz and that for the 24-room system is 10.9 dB. This method serves as a promising way to investigate the acoustic transmission in heavily damped periodic box-like structures. Article Highlights A fast SEA model building method is proposed. A 3D coordinate based numbering system is developed for subsystem location and identification. Application of damping on structural elements results in better sound insulation.