Design of Dynamically Loaded Fiber-Reinforced Structures with Account of Their Vibro-Acoustic Behavior

Dynamically loaded structures for high-technology applications generally require high material damping combined with low construction weight and adequate stiffness. Advanced lightweight structures will have to meet not only these dynamic demands but also improved acoustic (low noise) standards. High-performance materials like magnesium, aluminum, or titanium, which are mainly used in today's lightweight applications, reach their limits with respect to these dynamic and especially vibro-acoustic requirements. They offer a high specific stiffness and strength, but a relatively low damping, which leads to intense acoustic radiation. Therefore, composites or compound materials with a dynamically and vibro-acoustically optimized property profile are needed. The structural dynamic and vibro-acoustic behavior of these types of lightweight structures cannot be described by the use of classical models. Here, the advanced methods developed at ILK are considered, which take into account the special mechanical properties of the fiber-matrix compound. Also, sophisticated numerical simulation techniques such as the finite and the boundary element method are successfully applied.