You are viewing the documentation for an older COMSOL version. The latest version is available here.
The Acoustics Module Physics Interfaces
There are eight main branches — Pressure Acoustics, Elastic Waves, Acoustic-Structure Interaction, Aeroacoustics, Thermoviscous Acoustics, Ultrasound, Geometrical Acoustics, and Pipe Acoustics — and each of the physics interfaces is briefly described here, followed by the Physics Interface Guide by Space Dimension and Study Type listing the physics interface availability by space dimension and preset study types.
Pressure Acoustics
The Pressure Acoustics branch () has interfaces where the sound field is described by the pressure p. The physics interface solves acoustic problems in the frequency domain using the Pressure Acoustics, Frequency Domain interface (), where the Helmholtz equation is solved. Transient systems are modeled using the Pressure Acoustics, Transient interface (), where the classical wave equation is solved. Nonlinear effects can be included here using the Nonlinear Acoustics (Westervelt) feature. The Boundary Mode Acoustics interface () is used to study propagating modes in waveguides and ducts (at a given frequency only a finite set of wave shapes can propagate over a long distance).
Figure 4: Scattered SPL odd a submarine hull modeled with the Asymptotic Scattering formulation.
To efficiently solve large radiation and scattering problems the Pressure Acoustics, Boundary Element interface () solves the Helmholtz equation using the boundary element method (BEM). The interface is fully multiphysics enabled and couples seamlessly with the finite element based interfaces, both acoustic and structural. The Pressure Acoustics, Time Explicit () interface uses a time explicit method based on discontinuous Galerkin finite elements to efficiently solve large transient problems, it can be coupled to the Elastic Waves, Time Explicit interface. Finally, two interfaces exist to model high frequency acoustics; the Pressure Acoustics, Asymptotic Scattering () for scattering problems, and the Pressure Acoustics, Kirchhoff-Helmholtz () for radiation problems.
A large variety of boundary conditions are available, including sound hard walls and conditions for applying sources. There are radiation, symmetry, periodic, and port conditions for modeling open boundaries. Impedance conditions include models for different parts of the human ear, human skin, simple RCL circuit models, and more. The physics interfaces also have several fluid models, which, in a homogenized way, mimic the behavior of sound propagation in more complex media. This includes the propagation in porous or fibrous materials (the Poroacoustics domain feature), the propagation in narrow structures of constant cross section (the Narrow Region Acoustics domain feature), and fluid models for defining bulk absorption behavior. Monopole, dipole, and quadrupole point sources can also be applied. So-called perfectly matched layers (PMLs) are also available to truncate an unbounded computational domain in both time and frequency domain. Finally, the exterior field calculation feature can be used to determine the pressure in any point outside the computational domain. Dedicated results and analysis capabilities exist for visualizing the radiation patter of the exterior field (near and far-field) in polar, 2D, and 3D plots.
Figure 5: A 3D bubble plot of the loudspeaker radiation pattern at 3000 Hz. From the Vented Loudspeaker Enclosure model found in the application library.
Elastic Waves
The Elastic Waves branch () includes single physics interfaces for modeling the propagation of linear elastic waves in solids and porous materials. If necessary, the interfaces are readily coupled to fluid domains using the built-in multiphysics couplings.
The physics interfaces under this branch are the:
Acoustic-Structure Interaction
The Acoustic-Structure Interaction branch () has interfaces that apply to phenomena where the fluid pressure causes a load on the solid domain, and the structural acceleration affects the fluid domain across the fluid-solid boundary.
The physics interfaces under this branch are the:
The multiphysics interfaces consist of two or more single physics, for example, Pressure Acoustics, Frequency Domain and Solid Mechanics together with a multiphysics coupling, here the Acoustic-Structure Boundary coupling. Many more couplings are supported, for example, coupling Pressure Acoustics to Membrane or Multibody Dynamics interfaces.
Aeroacoustics
Detailed convected acoustics (flow borne noise/sound) that simulates the one-way interaction of a background fluid flow with an acoustic field is modeled using the physics interfaces found under the Aeroacoustics branch (). The coupling between the fluid mechanics and the acoustics is based on solving the set of linearized governing equations using stabilized finite elements methods. In this way, you solve for the acoustic variations of the acoustic variables on top of a stationary background mean flow. Different physics interfaces exist that solve the governing equations under various physical approximations.
Thermoviscous acoustics
The physics interfaces under the Thermoviscous Acoustics branch () are used to accurately model acoustics in geometries with small dimensions. Near walls viscous and thermal boundary layers (penetration depths) exist. Here, viscous losses due to shear and thermal conduction become important because of large gradients. For this reason, it is necessary to include thermal conduction effects and viscous losses explicitly in the governing equations. Thermoviscous acoustics is, for example, used when modeling the response of small transducers like microphones and receivers. Other applications include analyzing feedback in hearing aids and in mobile devices, or studying the damped vibrations of MEMS structures. In the time domain nonlinear effects can be modeled using the Nonlinear Thermoviscous Acoustics Contributions feature.
Because a detailed description is needed to model thermoviscous acoustics, the physics interface simultaneously solves for the acoustic pressure p, the particle velocity vector u, and the acoustic temperature variation T.
Figure 6: Deformation of the diaphragm (or membrane) at 12 kHz in the Axisymmetric Condenser Microphone model found in the application library.
In the Thermoviscous Acoustics, Frequency Domain interface (), the governing equations are implemented in the time-harmonic formulation and solved in the frequency domain. The interface is given in the scattered field formulation. Both mechanical and thermal boundary conditions exist. The interface exists in a time domain formulation, the Thermoviscous Acoustics, Transient interface (). The Thermoviscous Acoustics, Boundary Mode interface () is used to compute and identify propagating and non-propagating modes in waveguides and ducts. The interface performs a boundary mode analysis on a boundary, inlet, or cross section of a waveguide or duct of small dimensions. Several multiphysics interfaces involving thermoviscous acoustics also exist:
Ultrasound
Two dedicated interfaces exist under the Ultrasound branch ().
Both interfaces include absorbing layers that are used to set up effective nonreflecting like boundary conditions. The interfaces are based on the discontinuous Galerkin method and uses a time explicit solver. The method is very memory lean.
Geometrical Acoustics
Two physics interfaces exist under the Geometrical Acoustics branch: the Acoustic Diffusion Equation interface and the Ray Acoustics interface. Both are used to model acoustics in the high frequency limit where the wavelength is significantly smaller than the characteristic geometrical features.
The Ray Acoustics physics interface is used to compute the trajectories, phase, and intensity of acoustic rays. The interface can be used to model room acoustic problems like concert halls, lecture halls, or car cabins, and many outdoor and underwater environments. The interface has a dedicated receiver dataset that is used to create an impulse response plot. Objective room acoustic metrics like clarity, definition, and reverberation time can be analyzed.
The Acoustic Diffusion Equation interface solves a diffusion equation for the acoustic energy density distribution for modeling indoor room acoustics in buildings and concert halls. It is also known as energy finite elements.
Pipe Acoustics
The Pipe Acoustics, Transient () and the Pipe Acoustics, Frequency Domain () interfaces are used to model the propagation of sound waves in 1D flexible pipe systems. The equations are formulated in a general way to include the effects of the pipe wall compliance and allow the possibility of a stationary background flow. The pipe interfaces can be coupled to pressure acoustics domains using the built-in Acoustic-Pipe Acoustics Connection multiphysics coupling.
Physics Interface Guide by Space Dimension and Study Type
The table below lists the physics interfaces available specifically with this module in addition to those in the COMSOL Multiphysics basic license.
Acoustics
Pressure Acoustics
eigenfrequency; frequency domain; frequency domain, modal; mode analysis (2D and 1D axisymmetric models only); boundary mode analysis (3D and 2D axisymmetric models only)
Elastic Waves
Acoustic-Structure Interaction
Aeroacoustics
Thermoviscous Acoustics
Ultrasound
Geometrical Acoustics
Pipe Acoustics
Fluid-Structure Interaction
Structural Mechanics
stationary; eigenfrequency; eigenfrequency, prestressed; mode analysis; time dependent; time dependent, modal; time dependent, modal reduced-order model; frequency domain; frequency domain, modal; frequency domain, prestressed; frequency domain, prestressed, modal; frequency domain, modal reduced-order model; frequency domain, AWE reduced-order model
1 This physics interface is included with the core COMSOL package but has added functionality for this module.
2 Requires both the Structural Mechanics Module and the Acoustics Module.
3 This physics interface is a predefined multiphysics coupling that automatically adds all the physics interfaces and coupling features required.
4 Requires the addition of the AC/DC Module.