Numerical investigation of the effects of model and operator uncertainties on component-based transfer path analysis methods with substructuring applied to aircraft-like components

Hydraulic pumps are considered to have a major contribution to the structure borne noise generated inside aircrafts. Methods such as Component-Based Transfer Path Analysis (CB-TPA) are promising tools for aircraft manufacturers to build internal processes for the specification, design and validation of the impact of vibrating systems on new aircrafts. However, the experimental applicability of these methods remains limited due to some experimental difficulties. CB-TPA' formulation is based on dynamical quantities, which require the determination of terms related to rotational degrees of freedom. Virtual Point (VP) or Equivalent Multi-Point Connection (EMPC) methods are commonly employed for this purpose, but both result in more cumbersome experimental set-ups and increased measurement uncertainties. The implementation of these methods is difficult in the case of a flat and thin receiving structure as commonly encountered in aircraft applications, since in-plane translational excitations have to be applied and the access to the vibrating system/structure interface points is limited. In this work, a decoupling procedure is used to overcome these issues. A numerical model is used to investigate the influence of model and operator uncertainties on the CB-TPA' predictions, when the dynamical quantities are provided by VP and EMPC methods including the decoupling procedure.