On the Acoustic Radiation of Axisymmetric Fluid-Filled Pipes Using the Wave Finite Element (WFE) Method

Abstract

This paper investigates the efficiency of the wave finite element (WFE) method to assess the vibroacoustic behavior of finite baffled axisymmetric elastic pipes interacting with internal and external acoustic fluids. The pipes, of either homogeneous or multi-layered cross-sections, are surrounded by an external fluid of infinite extent, which can be light or heavy. The Sommerfeld radiation condition is taken into account by considering a perfectly matched layer (PML) around the external fluid. The method involves the computation of waves traveling along an axisymmetric multi-physics waveguide that incorporates a pipe, internal and external fluids, as well as a PML. Numerical experiments are carried out which highlight the relevance of the WFE method in terms of accuracy and CPU time savings, in comparison with the conventional finite element analysis.