BIM-coupled vibroacoustic simulations

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Ernst Rank
• Subject Area: Applied Mechanics, Statics and Dynamics
• Term: from 2012 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 221059122

The goal of the submitted research project is to evaluate building acoustics of timber structures by means of the finite element method. The procedure shall be embedded smoothly into the computerized planning process and provide accurate answers. Dimensionally reduced plate and shell structures are not appropriate for this purpose as they are not able to model transition zones with sufficient accuracy. Therefore, a strictly volume oriented approach by means of the p-version of the finite element method is aspired. It allows for an accurate and efficient representation of both, thin-walled and volumetric structures. The geometrical and physical basis for these computations are three-dimensional building information models. From these, the relevant topological and geometric information is derived and a volumetric mesh is then generated separately for each building component. By contrast to an all-conforming mesh generation of the entire model of the building, a component-wise approach allows for much more flexibility and is closer to the real construction process. However, the meshes will be non-conforming at the joints and have to be connected appropriately by means of the Mortar-method. In the course of this project, the mortar method will be further developed, such that acoustically weak joints can be modeled with sufficient accuracy. Furthermore, and in close cooperation with the project partners, it will be investigated how the p-FEM can profit from the energy flow analysis (efa) to close the well know ¿mid-frequency-gap¿. Finally, the usage of parameterized building information models will allow for a fast and efficient study of construction variants to yield variants optimized for building acoustics more rapidly. The models will be validated in detail by experiments. It is expected that this approach will lead to a new quality of the evaluation of building acoustics in a computerized planning process.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Professor Dr.-Ing. Stefan Kollmannsberger