A sequential adjoint variable method in design sensitivity analysis of NVH problems

A design sensitivity analysis of a sequential structural-acoustic problem is presented. A frequency response analysis is used to obtain the dynamic behavior of an automotive structure, while the boundary element method is used to solve the pressure response of an interior, acoustic domain. For the purposes of design sensitivity analysis, a direct differentiation method and an adjoint variable method are presented. In the adjoint variable method, an adjoint load is obtained from the acoustic boundary element reanalysis, while the adjoint solution is calculated from the structural dynamic re-analysis. The evaluation of pressure sensitivity only involves a numerical integration process for the structural part. The proposed sensitivity results are compared to finite difference sensitivity results with excellent agreement.