Meshing procedures for vibro-acoustic models

Procedures have been developed specially for re-creating meshes for acoustic BE and FE models, starting from pre-existing structural meshes. Various techniques are explained, such as identifying and removing ribs, extracting the exterior radiating surface, eliminating unnecessary non-acoustic elements, filling holes, and filling a cavity for an interior acoustic problem. These techniques can be used in various combinations as a toolbox to create optimal acoustic meshes. However, such meshes can be approximations to the true radiating surfaces, so a further question remains regarding the accuracy of the results obtained with such meshes in vibro-acoustic calculations. The paper discusses this issue and illustrates the meshing procedures and verifications of accuracy with various practical examples and benchmarks. Additional material is to be included in the oral presentation.