Numerical Analysis on the Radiation Efficiency of an Extruded Panel for the Railway Vehicle Using the Waveguide Finite Element and Boundary Element Method

Complex-shaped stiffened panels are widely used nowadays in many structures such as railway vehicles, ships and offshore structures, in order to make them lighter and stronger. Therefore, it is essential to investigate vibration and radiation of the complex shaped panels to predict the vibro-acoustic performance of the large structures. In this paper, a coupled waveguide finite element and boundary element method, which can be applied where the cross-sectional properties of the panels are constant in one direction, is applied to predict the radiation efficiency of the extruded panel. The dependence of the radiation efficiency on two different types of excitation positions is investigated; a point force in the middle of the strip or on an interior stiffener. Finally, numerical results are validated through the comparison with experiments carried out with a 1.5 m length extruded panel.