Discontinuous isogeometric boundary element (IGABEM) formulations in 3D automotive acoustics

Abstract

The isogeometric boundary element method (IGABEM) is a technique that employs non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS) as basis functions to discretise the solution variables as well as the problem geometry in a boundary element formulation. IGABEM has shown improved convergence properties over the conventional boundary element method (BEM) algorithms. However, in acoustics, IGABEM has only been applied to problems with simple smooth boundary conditions. In most real-world engineering design and analysis acoustic problems, geometric corners and discontinuities in boundary conditions can give rise to more complexity in the solution field that may be more efficiently modelled using a discontinuous approach. In the current work we develop a discontinuous IGABEM formulation based on discontinuous elements and a suitable collocation scheme. Continuous and discontinuous formulations are compared. In this paper, a three dimensional model with different sets of boundary conditions is presented to explore the conditions under which a discontinuous formulation outperforms the continuous IGABEM. A simple car passenger compartment model characterised by panels with piecewise continuous impedance boundaries is presented to illustrate the potential of the proposed method for integrated engineering design and analysis.