New modeling method and mechanism analyses for active control of interior noise in an irregular enclosure using piezoelectric actuators

A new modeling method is developed in this paper for the active minimization of noise within a three-dimensional irregular enclosure using distributed lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric (PZT) actuators, and the control mechanisms for irregular enclosure are analyzed. The irregular enclosure is modeled with four rigid walls and two simply supported flexible panels, and PZT actuators are bound to one of the flexible panels. The process of the new modeling method is as follows. First, the modal coupling method is used to establish the motion equations, which contain important coefficients such as modal masses and modal coupling coefficients, etc., of acoustic-structural-piezoelectric coupling system. Then, the acoustic modes and the modal masses of irregular enclosure are calculated by numerical methods. Last, the modal coupling coefficients in motion equations are calculated according to the numerical results of the acoustic modes of irregular enclosure and the modes of two panels. The validity of this modeling method is verified by a regular hexahedron enclosure. Two cost functions are applied to this model. With the two cost functions, good results are obtained in minimizing the sound-pressure level (SPL) within irregular enclosure according to numerical investigations. By comparing the results obtained under controlled and uncontrolled states, the control mechanisms of the system are discussed. It is found that the control mechanisms vary with disturbance frequencies. At most disturbance frequencies, the SPL within enclosure is reduced by restructuring the modes of two panels simultaneously. When the disturbance frequency comes close to one of the natural frequencies of panel a, the dominant mode of panel a is suppressed, while the modes of panel b are reconstructed. While the disturbance frequency is near one of the natural frequencies of panel b, the modes of two panels are restructured at the same time.