Introduction to Acoustic Grid Participation

Acoustic grid participation is an important diagnostic tool for understanding what area of the structure contributes significantly to the interior acoustic response.

This understanding will then allow you to determine what potential design changes can help reduce the acoustic response.
Acoustic grid participation is a way to break down an acoustic response to contributions from grids on the fluid-structure interface (see below):
Figure 1.


Structure grid participation
Provides participations from the body structure side of the fluid-structure interface.
Fluid grid participation
Provides participations from the interior cavity side of the interface.
Physical
The body structure grids vibrate, exciting the interior cavity fluid grids, which eventually generates an acoustic response (which is typically a driver’s or passenger’s response).
Note: Both Structure and Fluid grid participations are acoustic grid participations. The word ‘acoustic’ in ‘acoustic grid participation’ relates to the fact that the response is acoustic (or pertains to sound).