Abstract: The determination of the acoustic sensitivity characteristics with respect to the variation of the design parameters can provide a method for low-noise design of mechanical structure objectively and quantitatively. Based on the boundary element method, the expressions of sensitivities of the acoustic pressure with respect to changes in frequency and surface vibration velocity are presented. The sensitivities of coefficient matrix are computed by differentiation directly, instead of finite difference approximation. Using displaced points method, the singular integral can be obtained fast and correctly. Numerical sensitivity results obtained by the boundary element method are compared to analytical solutions, and the validation and availability of the present method are proved. These acoustic sensitivity analysis methods can lay a solid foundation for the low-noise design of mechanical structure.

Key words: Acoustic radiation, Acoustic sensitivity, Boundary element method