By, Mads Herring Jensen and Henrik Ekström from COMSOL
2025 Predictions for Modeling and Simulation: Spotlights on Acoustics and Electrochemistry
As engineers in a variety of industries increasingly rely on modeling and simulation to optimize design, we are continually inspired by how our users are breaking new ground with the COMSOL Multiphysics® software. Two fields where we see the use of simulation-aided design constantly evolving are acoustics and electrochemistry, with a particular focus within the latter on the development of batteries and battery management systems (BMS). In 2025, we expect to see the following trends affect the use of modeling and simulation in these areas.
Trends in Acoustics Simulation
In the coming year, we will see improved design and virtual testing of acoustic spaces like open-plan offices, car cabins, and conference-speaker meeting rooms, using detailed time-domain modeling methods made viable by recent advances in solver and hardware technology, e.g., time-explicit modeling on GPUs. Historically, acoustics simulation has been largely focused on solving problems in the frequency domain with models based on the Helmholtz equation; damping and dissipation models are simply easier to formulate in the frequency domain. To get accurate results in time-domain room acoustics simulations, absorbing surfaces must be modeled accurately. This is now achieved using new mathematical techniques to transform damping models from the frequency domain to the time domain. These efficient new techniques allow acoustical engineers to set up realistic impedance conditions — of, say, a sound absorbing panel in an office space or a seat in a car — and even model porous materials directly in the time domain.