Effects of Equipment Loading on the Vibrations of Edge-Stiffened Plates and Associated Modeling Issues

Predicting structural radiated noise is a process that involves several steps, often including the development of a finite element (FE) model to provide structural response predictions. Limitations of these FE models often govern the success of overall noise predictions. The purpose of the present investigation is to identify the effects of real world attachments on edge-stiffened plates and identify advanced modeling methods to facilitate vibroacoustic analyses of such complex structures. A combination of experimental and numerical methods is used in the evaluation. The results show the effects of adding attachments to the edge-stiffened plate in terms of mode shape mass loading, creation of new mode shapes, modifications to original mode shapes, and variations in damping levels. A finite element model of the edge-stiffened plate with simplified attachments has been developed and is used in conjunction with experimental data to aid in the developments. The investigation presented here represents a necessary first step toward implementing an advanced modeling technique.