Finite Element and Boundary Element Modelling of the Acoustic Wave Transmission in Mean Flow Medium

Acoustic field in steady-state is characterized by a Helmholtz equation. The transmission characteristics of acoustic wave devices is however influenced by the presence of the mean flow in the medium. The effect of the mean How introduces additional terms in the equation. In the present paper, two approaches are considered. One is that the equation is directly discretized by FEM for one-dimensional and the axisymmetric case. Another is that the equation is first transformed into the standard Helmholtz equation which is solved by BEM. The numerical demonstrations are made for the axisymmetric FEM and the three-dimensional BEM modeling. The numerical examination for a straight circular duct is first considered. The solutions are compared wish the analytical ones. The examination is then extended to the case when the mean How is locally present in a muser with expansion chamber.