CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
10 January 2013
Implementation Investments
Tenneco Selects Actran to Support the Acoustic Design of Exhaust Systems
MSC Software Corporation announced that Tenneco has selected MSC Software's subsidiary Free Field Technologies (FFT) as a supplier of acoustics and vibro-acoustics simulation software. Tenneco manufactures exhaust systems for the automotive and commercial vehicle industry. The Actran software developed by FFT is used by Tenneco for modeling exhaust system pipe noise and shell noise.
Car manufacturers must develop cleaner, more fuel-efficient and quieter engines. In order to meet these challenging objectives, they require their suppliers to take responsibility for acoustic performance of the components they supply. Thus, exhaust manufacturers seek new concepts which meet strict noise emission regulations, without disrupting engine efficiency. This is extremely important as the design of an exhaust system can influence the engine performance, the radiated sound pressure levels, as well as the broader design of the vehicle.
Additionally, pass-by noise targets and interior acoustic criteria have to be considered for the entire vehicle, and the exhaust system is a major contributor when dealing with these aspects. Tenneco is continuously reassessing its development process to ensure it meets or even exceeds these requirements.
Tenneco recently acquired the Actran technology in order to predict acoustics & vibro-acoustics. Actran vibro-acoustics provides a rich library of elements, materials, boundary conditions, and solver solutions. The software is used to investigate the effects of design changes at any development stage, and to understand the physics of problems when they occur at the production stage. The Actran computational results are accurate, and have helped Tenneco rely more on simulations than on physical prototypes.
"The Actran software helps support our acoustic development programs," said Jerome Voillequin, senior acoustic engineer, Tenneco Emission Control Europe in Edenkoben, Germany. "Actran helps further improve how we investigate and understand acoustic challenges in order to ensure that we continue to provide leading-edge acoustic solutions for exhaust systems."
"Actran offers an ideal solution for covering Tenneco's needs as an automotive supplier," said Stéphane Caro, from FFT in Belgium. "Actran contains a rich set of features needed to model the acoustic performance of exhaust system products."
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