Project outline
Predicting the noise and vibration from complex structures like cars is a common challenge in engineering design. Transfer Path Analysis (TPA) can be used for this NVH work, speeding prototyping and reducing design costs. In TPA, you break down systems into key components, coupling together models of vibration sources, such as electric motors, to passive receiver structures, like a car body. This PhD is about improving measurements that feed into TPA, to increase the accuracy of the noise and vibration predictions. Improving prediction accuracy, will help industry ensure their products meet noise regulations and increase vibro-acoustic comfort.
Project Partners
This project will take place at the University of Salford with funding support for UK or EU nationals from Siemens Industry Software NV.
Further project information
You will develop approaches that guarantee accurate vibro-acoustic predictions with the least measurement effort. The first objective is exploring the high sensitivity of full-system predictions to measurement errors coming from individual components. The goal is to gain a more complete understanding of how different inconsistencies within a measured component-level frequency response function (FRF) matrix can lead to spurious peaks in the coupled FRF. You will work to create methods to automatically detect and remove spurious peaks via data quality checks on targeted component-level. A second objective is to research which degrees of freedom to include in the source identification using the blocked force method.
You will be working with Siemens, a leader in data acquisition and processing for TPA, and the Acoustics Research Centre at the University of Salford, which pioneered the block force measurement method enshrined in an ISO international standard.
Subject Areas
- Mechanical engineering
- Dynamics
- Acoustics
- NVH
- TPA, Transfer Path Analysis
- Vibroacoustics
Required qualifications/skills
Essential
- You should have or expect to get a 1st class honours degree or a Masters with distinction in a science or engineering subject.
- You must have some evidenced experience of acoustic or vibration measurement, prediction and analysis.
Student
Commencing in October 2026