Computational procedures for determining structural-acoustic response due to hydrodynamic sources

In this paper we propose a methodology for determining the structural-acoustic response due to hydro/aero-dynamic sources. Our methodology is based on solving a fluid problem in which the structure is treated as rigid and using the results of this calculation to solve a structural-acoustic problem. The two problems are coupled using Lighthill's acoustic analogy. The key feature of our methodology is the numerical solution of the structural-acoustic problem. For this purpose, we develop new variational formulations of Lighthill's acoustic analogy that may be solved using the finite element method. This allows us to consider flexible structures and acoustically non-compact sources in the acoustic calculation with relative ease. We present a preliminary calculation that illustrates the feasibility of our approach.