Vibro-acoustic analysis of complex systems

A general method is presented for predicting the ensemble average steady-state response of complex vibro-acoustic systems that contain subsystems with uncertain, or random, properties. The method combines deterministic and statistical techniques to produce a non-iterative hybrid method that incorporates equations of dynamic equilibrium and power balance. The method is derived explicitly without reference to statistical energy analysis (SEA); however, it is seen that the wave approach to SEA can be viewed as a special case of the proposed method. The proposed method provides a flexible way to account for necessary deterministic details in a vibro-acoustic analysis without requiring that an entire system be modeled deterministically. The method therefore provides a potential solution to the mid-frequency problem (in which a system is neither entirely deterministic nor entirely statistical). The application of the method is illustrated with a numerical validation example.