Virtual pre-test analysis for optimization of multi-channel control strategies in direct field acoustic testing

Direct field acoustic excitation testing, or DFAX, is gaining the attention of the space industry as a reliable and flexible method to perform acoustic qualification tests of spacecrafts. The test aims at reproducing the sound conditions of the space launch using an array of high-powered loudspeakers placed around the test specimen. To achieve this end, advanced multi-input multi-output (MIMO) control strategies are employed to design the independent signals which drive the different speakers based on the responses acquired at the control locations over the test volume. Consequently, the performance and overall efficiency of the test campaign is then determined by a number of factors, among them stack configuration, test specimen orientation, number of speakers, control matrix and sensor location. To assist engineers in the design of such tests, this work proposes the use of numerical models to simulate the entire test set-up before the on-site campaign takes place. State-of-the-art vibro-acoustic solvers are employed to predict the pressure responses at all points in the test volume for various design choices, allowing test engineers to perform a virtual pre-test analysis based on numerical solutions to optimize their control strategy. The results included in this work illustrate the methodology followed to account for all the transfer functions of the electro-acoustic system as well as the validation of the levels of accuracy which can be achieved in a full-scale DFAX test via direct comparison with experimental measurements.