Advanced Engineering Simulation Software

Simulation software for speaker design has been around since the 1970s. With the introduction of the IBM PC and DOS operating system in the early 1980s, Thiele-Small (T-S) simulation software for enclosure design became a must-have for speaker system designers. For the most sophisticated design efforts, there are now magnetic circuit design software and finite element analysis (FEA) cone and thermal prediction simulation software. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, March 2017.

Loudspeaker design is not a trivial exercise, and as a result, high-performance acoustic simulation software is essential to get accurate predictions that help an engineer develop superior products. Demand for simulations at early design stages are increasing because cost and timing constraints make it impossible to prototype and test every design idea and much can be learned from simulation results, which cannot be obtained in the test chamber. Actran, MSC Software Company’s acoustic simulation solution, based on Finite Element Analysis (FEA) technology, provides predictive simulation capabilities to assess the vibro-acoustic performance of audio devices, which include speakers and microphones.

MSC Software is promoting new free educational seminars throughout the US to help engineers from a variety of industries better understand their product’s acoustic behavior. The new Acoustic Seminar Series includes an introduction to acoustic theory, an overview of acoustic scenarios from various industries, Q&A sessions and an acoustic simulation best practices overview.

MSC Software Corporation announced that it is launching a series of Acoustic Engineering Seminars throughout the United States in 2015 in order to help engineers achieve the difficult balance between government restrictions, consumer preferences, and engineering trends.

The kind of acoustic simulation tools that were once the exclusive province of automotive and aerospace engineers are now available to loudspeaker designers. A speaker designer working in a home studio can design a new enclosure or ported box using the same simulation technology automotive engineers use to design quiet auto interiors or, more precisely, almost the same simulation technology.