Abstract

Currently there is an increasing focus on the transmission of low frequency sound in buildings, as sources such as road and air traffic or even home theatre subwoofers become part of everyday life for many people. Hence, development of efficient and accurate methods for prediction of sound in such buildings is important. In the lowfrequency range, prediction of sound and vibration in building structures may be achieved by finite-element analysis (FEA). The aim of this paper is to compare the two commercial codes ABAQUS and ANSYS for FEA of an acoustic-structural coupling in a timber lightweight panel structure. For this purpose, modal analyses are carried out employing a fully coupled model of sound waves within an acoustic medium and vibrations in the structural part. The study concerns the frequency range 50–250 Hz.