Case Study: Brüel & Kjær achieves higher measurement precision and reliable microphone designs with COMSOL Multiphysics

Brüel & Kjær - Customer Case Study

Brüel & Kjær, a Danish leader in sound and vibration measurement, needed to design condenser microphones and vibration transducers that deliver known, consistent error and comply with IEC/ISO standards across wide frequency, pressure, temperature, humidity and harsh-environment conditions. To support this R&D challenge, Brüel & Kjær adopted Comsol’s multiphysics simulation software to verify precision, explore new designs, and predict performance that would be difficult or time-consuming to measure experimentally.

Using Comsol, the team built detailed multiphysics models (moving meshes and tightly coupled mechanical, electrical and acoustic physics) of the Type 4134 microphone and piezoelectric transducers to simulate diaphragm deformation, electromechanical coupling, viscous/thermal losses, vent configurations, and resonance. Comsol’s simulations—validated against physical prototypes—allowed Brüel & Kjær to predict sensitivity and directional behavior (e.g., diaphragm responses at 20–25 kHz), optimize low‑frequency venting, and produce transducers with a flat response (first resonance ≈90 kHz), enabling an upper usable frequency set at one‑third of resonance to keep measurement error within about 10–12%, speeding development and improving design accuracy.

Brüel & Kjær

Erling Olsen

Development Engineer