The prediction of sound field in cavities surrounded by vibrating walls is a simple
task nowadays, provided that the velocity distribution along the walls is known in
sufficient detail. This information can be obtained from a structural finite element
(FE) calculation of the building and the results can be fed directly into a conventional
boundary element (BE) analysis. Though methodically simple, it is not an attractive
way of prediction from the practical point of view: the size of the matrices needed
for BE calculation is too large, thus their inversion is very cumbersome and computationally
intensive. The paper introduces a modified numerical calculation method appropriate
for practical calculations without the need to construct and invert large matrices.
The suggested method is based on the Rayleigh radiation integral and some standard
direct (collocational) BE techniques, where the necessary input data are generated
from measured or calculated velocity values at just a few points. The technique has
been compared and validated on the basis of an extensive measurement series, performed
in a reinforced concrete frame building close to a tunnel of line RER B of the underground
railway network in Paris. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
