Case Study: Norwegian Defence Estate Agency predicts low-frequency building vibrations with Comsol

Norwegian Defence Estate Agency predicts low-frequency vibration with Comsol, matching real wall tests within a few decibels

The Norwegian Defence Estate Agency, a customer of Comsol, faced the challenge of understanding and mitigating annoying vibrations caused by low-frequency sound waves and infrasound penetrating buildings near sources like airports and wind turbines. Their goal was to recommend design adjustments to alleviate this disturbance, an area of research that had not been extensively explored. To investigate this, they partnered with Comsol and utilized the COMSOL Multiphysics software for simulation.

Comsol's solution involved creating a highly accurate computer model to simulate how low-frequency sound waves interact with and penetrate building structures. The results showed very close correlation with real-life laboratory testing, providing a predictive tool to design and test mitigation measures like window lamination and wall stiffening. This solution from Comsol was much cheaper and quicker than physical testing, enabling informed decisions on countermeasures and paving the way for the model to be expanded for use on entire buildings.

Norwegian Defence Estate Agency