Automatic subsystem identification in statistical energy analysis

•We propose an automatic methodology for identifying SEA (statistical energy analysis) subsystems.•It is based on a hierarchical cluster analysis of the energy distribution of problem eigenmodes.•The method is successfully applied to structural and vibroacoustic three-dimensional examples.•It allows the definition of more than one subsystem in the same geometrical region when required.

An automatic methodology for identifying SEA (statistical energy analysis) subsystems within a vibroacoustic system is presented. It consists in dividing the system into cells and grouping them into subsystems via a hierarchical cluster analysis based on the problem eigenmodes. The subsystem distribution corresponds to the optimal grouping of the cells, which is defined in terms of the correlation distance between them. The main advantages of this methodology are its automatic performance and its applicability both to vibratory and vibroacoustic systems. Moreover, the method allows the definition of more than one subsystem in the same geometrical region when required. This is the case of eigenmodes with a very different mechanical response (e.g. out-of-plane or in-plane vibration in shells).