CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive

4 November 2009

Product News

Exa Announces PowerACOUSTICS—the First Validated Interior Noise Prediction Solution for Wind Noise

Exa® Corporation announced the release of PowerACOUSTICS™, the first and only validated solution for the prediction of interior noise due to external air flow. PowerACOUSTICS enables aeroacoustic and noise control engineers to efficiently simulate, analyze and collaborate on sound package design and exterior shape optimization in the early stages of a program, in support of developing and achieving interior noise targets. The ability to assess wind noise early allows for design changes to be made when the impact is large and the cost of changes small.

“With wind noise consistently ranked as the number one vehicle consumer complaint, we realized that with Exa’s unique technology we had an opportunity to help our customers efficiently and economically address this critical issue,” commented Stephen Remondi, Exa’s President and CEO. “With PowerACOUSTICS, accurate early–stage aeroacoustic design studies can be made with high confidence.”

Noise control engineering is an ongoing challenge for ground transportation and aerospace manufacturers. Specially treated aeroacoustic wind tunnels can measure the interior noise, but noise source identification and visualization is difficult and testing is not possible until physical prototypes are available—too late to effectively impact design. Fixing wind noise problems late in the development process is expensive, requiring added cost and weight. Exa’s inherently transient and compressible flow solver technology is unique in its ability to simulate and visualize the flow‐induced sources of noise and resulting transient pressure loading on the external surfaces. However, until now, there has been no robust way to transmit the external pressure fluctuations to the interior to predict the noise levels at the occupant locations.

Due to the overwhelming need for an accurate and cost effective noise prediction solution, companies such as Nissan North America are already finding success evaluating aeroacoustic performance with Exa. Dave Lepley, NVH & Wind Noise Manager for Nissan North America stated, “PowerACOUSTICS is an important technology advance for wind noise engineering that will allow us to get valuable information about aeroacoustic performance earlier in the development process.”

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