Statistical energy analysis

Statistical energy analysis (SEA) is a method for predicting the transmission of sound and vibration through complex structural acoustic systems. The method is particularly well suited for quick system level response predictions at the early design stage of a product, and for predicting responses at higher frequencies. In SEA a system is represented in terms of a number of coupled subsystems and a set of linear equations are derived that describe the input, storage, transmission and dissipation of energy within each subsystem. The parameters in the SEA equations are typically obtained by making certain statistical assumptions about the local dynamic properties of each subsystem (similar to assumptions made in room acoustics and statistical mechanics). These assumptions significantly simplify the analysis and make it possible to analyze the response of systems that are often too complex to analyze using other methods (such as finite element and boundary element methods).