The increasing industrial competitiveness generates higher pressure on development cycles and forces engineers to develop new methods to reduce prototype testing and increase prediction capability. The current approach based on physical prototype testing is still valid but it does not answer to the request to consistently shorten the development cycle.
Though testing remains a need, a new paradigm is being introduced that focuses on virtual prototyping. The objective is to allow engineers simulating the impact of a large variety of design alternatives on the final product’s performances. This new approach requires more powerful simulation capability as it aims at implementing virtual prototype testing based on Sound Quality Equivalent (SQE) models as well as at reusing historical test data to assess the impact of design modification. The integration of these two features in a unique virtual sound environment paves the way to "hybrid" physical prototype testing where a reduced amount of test data can be used to support virtual simulation and improve productivity in the design process.
Over the last few years, LMS has been working on analysis and modelling of automotive and aircraft sounds for equivalent sound quality. In-flight noise measurements were used to extract a sound quality equivalent model of a turboprop in a number of different flying conditions. The model was then used to synthesize interior aircraft noise and to perform a virtual walk in the aircraft cabin to assess the passenger perception at different locations. The results of such an on-line simulation are presented in this paper.
