Intelligent Structures for Low Noise Environments

日益增长的国际贸易导致全球航运量激增，这反过来又增加了我们海洋中的噪音污染水平。这是加剧了大规模的船舶使用低频声辐射从振动结构传播了很长的距离。噪音的增加及其对海洋生物的有害影响是一个重大的环境问题。推动这种大型集装箱船所需的动力也导致了严重的内部可居住性问题，以及相关的健康和安全问题。更一般地说，天然燃料储量的减少，加上对温室气体排放的关切，导致海上和陆上可再生能源发电装置的扩散。这些项目都助长了噪音污染的增加，在许多情况下，噪音污染以次声辐射（即频率低于人类听力阈值），对人类造成独特的生理影响和不适。在汽车行业，类似的环境压力正在导致更轻的材料结构和越来越多的电力使用。这些趋势对声音控制也带来了类似的挑战，在电动汽车的情况下，这涉及到对独特心理效应的考虑，这些心理效应会引起由内燃机驱动的车辆中不存在或掩盖的烦恼。这里提出的工作的主要愿景是解决低频噪声缓解的要求，通过主动和半主动控制，流体结构相互作用，声学建模，信号处理和数值优化以及增材层制造。智能结构在这里被定义为集成结构元件的结构，这些结构元件包括新型传感器、包括变形材料的致动、能量收集和能量存储、印刷电子、数据存储、计算和通信;不仅作为离散嵌入式设备，而且还使用先进的增材制造技术印刷。通过组合，这些组件提供满足多个目标的行为和性能，这些目标可以包括能效、容错、低噪声，低振动和重量轻。拟议的合作伙伴关系将由BAE系统海事公司的噪声和振动工程部门以及南安普顿大学（UoS）的声音和振动研究所领导，该研究所汇集了一个良好的-在海洋噪音和振动缓解技术方面建立了世界领先的专业团体。与英国劳氏船级社（LR）、UoS在流体结构相互作用和机电设计方面的领先专业知识以及世界著名的诺丁汉大学EPSRC增材制造中心合作，这代表了一种强大的合作伙伴关系，将提供智能、节能的低噪音结构和机器，以改善环境并增强广泛应用领域的安全性。

Increasing international trade is leading to an explosion in the amount of shipping worldwide, which in turn is increasing the levels of noise pollution in our oceans. This is exacerbated by the large scale of the vessels used with low frequency acoustic radiation from vibrating structures propagating over long distances. The elevated noise and its detrimental impact on sea-life is a significant environmental concern. The power needed to propel such large container vessels is also leading to significant internal habitability issues with associated health and safety concerns. More generally, dwindling natural fuel reserves together with concern over greenhouse gas emissions is leading to a proliferation of offshore and land-based renewable energy generating installations. Such projects are all contributing to increasing noise pollution that in many cases radiates as infrasound (i.e. at frequencies below the threshold of human hearing) that causes unique physiological effects and discomfort in humans. In the automotive sector, similar environmental pressures are leading to lighter material construction and the increasing use of electric power. These trends lead to similar challenges for sound control and in the case of electric vehicles, this involves consideration of the unique psychological effects that cause annoyance that are not present or masked in vehicles powered by internal combustion engines. The primary vision of the work proposed here is to address the low frequency noise mitigation requirement with an ambitious programme of research aimed at the development of a range of energy efficient novel intelligent structures through the holistic combination of tools and techniques from the key distinct disciplines of active and semi-active control, fluid structure interaction, acoustic modeling, signal processing and numerical optimization and additive layer manufacture. An Intelligent Structure is defined here as a structure that integrates structural elements that encompass novel sensors, actuation including morphing materials, energy scavenging and energy storage, printed electronics, data storage, computing and communications; not only as discrete embedded devices but also printed using advanced additive manufacturing techniques. In combination the components deliver behavior and performance that satisfy multiple objectives that could include energy efficiency, fault tolerance, low noise, low vibration and light weight.The proposed partnership will be led by the Noise and Vibration Engineering Department of BAE Systems Maritime and the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research at the University of Southampton (UoS) which brings together a well-established and world leading grouping of expertise in maritime noise and vibration mitigation technologies. Working together with Lloyd's Register (LR), UoS leading expertise in fluid structure interaction and electromechanical design and the world renowned EPSRC Centre for Additive Manufacturing at the University of Nottingham this represents a formidable partnership that will deliver intelligent, energy efficient low noise structures and machines to improve the environment and enhance security and safety across a wide domain of applications.