Case study: Sensitivity analysis of transmission loss through treated composite panel: An experimental and numerical study

This paper investigates the sensitivity of the transmission loss (TL) to material parameters. An experimental study was conducted to compare the obtained experimental results with numerical sensitivity analysis. The main objective was to evaluate the transmission loss through a composite sandwich plate with multiple noise treatments. The variable parameters encompassed two categories: porous materials with different fibrous and foam configurations on one side and viscoelastic treatment applied to the plate on the other side, enabling enhanced damping without significant mass addition. The parametric study results were then used to validate a numerical model of the structure using the simplified transfer matrix method (TMM). Additionally, a numerical sensitivity analysis using the Fourier analysis sensitivity test (FAST) method was performed on the TMM model, allowing for the identification of the most influential parameters and assessment of the effects of uncertainties in the experimental setup. The findings highlight that while certain variables, such as the air gap between the plate and the treatment, pose challenges in accurate control of the transmission loss, their impact on the results is minimal.