An Efficient Sound Source Localization Technique via Boundary Element Method

The boundary element method (BEM) is a widely used technique in vibro-acoustics. This method is effective not only in the determination of exterior and interior sound fields but also for the sound source localization of complex systems. In this chapter, the Helmholtz integral equation formulation and its boundary element discretization are presented. Half-space algorithm and half-space-contact version of this algorithm feasible for most machine locations are introduced. Some theoretical examples, for a dilating sphere in half-space, are presented. The chapter continues with a case study: Sound source identification and characterization of a refrigerator, via a cost-effective and easy-to-use technique, based on surface velocity measurements and BEM computation of surface and field acoustic pressures