Performance analysis of non-reflective boundary conditions on sound localization problem in an isotropic plate

Acoustic source localization, considering the effect of reflected waves from geometrical features (such as holes, lugs and structural discontinuities) is still one of the most challenging areas in this field. In this paper, the effects of reflected waves from edges on source localization results are discussed. Most of the previous studies have ignored the reflected waves by selection of the test zone far from the test plate edges. The current approaches for considering reflected waves are based on using high Sampling Rate Data (SRD) which is unsuitable for practical applications. This paper discusses how silicon dampers on edges affect the acoustic source localization on an isotropic plate using low SRD. In this approach, four silicon dampers are installed on a Plexiglas plate. The effect of each damper is experimentally tested on final prediction error. The experimental results reveal that the reduction of prediction error according to each damper highly depends on the impact and sensor location related to the damper's position.