Active Control of Sound and Vibration

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Develop simulation models to predict the behaviour of the system under control.
• Develop simple control algorithms to control sound, vibration and mechanical systems.
• Select an appropriate control strategy for various applications of noise, vibration and mechanical system control. For example, active noise cancelling headphones, active vibration isolation of machinery and position control for robotics.

Full CEng Programme Level Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Active control is inherently a systems-based solution, which integrates understanding of both physical system behaviour (in terms of acoustics, vibration or mechanics) and control theory to bring about appropriate control system design. During the assessment, students will tackle practical active control problems requiring modelling, analysis and interpretation of both of these aspects taking an integrated, systems approach.
• The students will be assessed in their abilitiy to investigate complex active control problems via computer-based laboratories working with real-world data and coding the digital control algorithms used in practice.
• Through tackling complex practical active control problems, the students will be required to apply both mathematical methods and engineering principles related to control. The methods will be at the forefront of the active control discipline and the analysis will require broader understanding of how the active control methods are complementary to the wider context of control.
• Through given practical active control problems, students will need to formulate and analyse complex control problems and interpret the results to reach substantiated conclusions. Real-world data will be provided to realise and evaluate different active control approaches and the students will use subject knowledge and engineering judgment to discuss the limitations of the techniques employed.
• Appropriate active control strategies will be selected and applied to tackle real-world noise, vibration and mechanical control problems. Assessments will include analysis of the limitations and alterative solutions.
• Given real-world complex control problems, the students will need to select and apply appropriate computational and analytical techniques to model the both the physical system and the control system. Interpreatation of the results will require them to demonstrate an understanding of the limitations of the techniques employed.
• The assessments will require students to write-up their laboratory work and thus demonstrate effective written communication skills on the subject of active control systems.
• As part of the assessment, students are given the opportunity to explore and describe broader applications of active control systems, which will require them to select and critically evaluate technical literature in this discipline and discuss the strengths, weaknesses and limitations of active control approaches.

Cognitive Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Define the equations which govern feedback and feedforward control strategies.
• Be able to further develop and apply the control algorithms presented in the course to other areas.
• Be able to assess the suitability of different control strategies for a wide range of practical applications.
• Obtain active control solutions for simple benchmark problems.

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of active control of sound
• Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of active control of mechanical systems
• Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of active control of vibration

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Able to write simple computer programs and reports.
• Able to synthesise information from a range of sources.
• Able to Apply critical analysis and evaluation skills.
• Able to communicate clearly in written reports.
• Able to read, understand and interpret scientific papers.

• Active control of plane waves in ducts.
• Strategies for active control including reflection and absorption.
• The use of quadratic optimisation in determining the performance of control systems.
• The principles of single-channel control systems for tonal and random signals.
• The use of the LMS algorithm in active control systems.
• Active control of freefield sound.
• Multichannel control of tones and random disturbances.
• Active control of enclosed sound fields.
• Active structural acoustic control using integrated actuators and sensors.
• Stability, performance and robustness of feedback systems.
• Active headsets.
• Active vibration isolation systems.
• Active control of waves in structures.
• Adaptive signal processing and identification.
• Control of nonlinear systems.
• Modal control.

Series of lectures, Laboratory sessions.

Problem based-learning – Simulation in Matlab using measured data.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.