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Ray Tracing Simulation Software: A Saving Grace for the Aerospace Industry
How to accurately predict exterior noise levels for launchpad acoustics
In the world of space exploration, precision and resilience are paramount. Designers and engineers face an array of challenges when preparing launch vehicles and payloads to withstand the harsh conditions of lift-off. One of the most formidable obstacles? The extreme acoustic environment created during launch, capable of causing catastrophic damage if not properly accounted for. In this article, we delve into the significance of accurate noise prediction, how it impacts spacecraft safety, and the role of advanced simulation tools like VA One's Ray Tracing capability in overcoming these challenges.
Ray trace - What is it?
We have liftoff! What wonderful and exciting words to hear for anyone in the space industry – and even for those watching from the sidelines. What’s not so great for spacecraft engineers and manufacturers to hear? How damaging the extreme acoustic environment can be on launch vehicles and their payloads. Surviving this acoustic load is critical to the proper functioning of the vehicle and payloads. Therefore, predicting the acoustic load is essential to providing necessary input to determine the structural vibration and sound transmission through the vehicle structure – or else the results could be catastrophic.
Although predicting exterior noise levels when dealing with structures like the launch pad and launch vehicle is critical, these are also too large to model with conventional deterministic methods and become computationally expensive. And what about the environment surrounding the launch pad? Minimizing exterior noise also plays a large part in operator safety and comfort, contributing to greater overall efficiency.
Spotlight on ray tracing physics: What is the impact of launch acoustics, large structures and noise pollution on space exploration?
As mentioned, launch acoustics are the most damaging loads that the rocket and everything inside of it experience. It can be so severe that the noise level can vibrate and shake apart key components of the rocket, the guidance system or the satellites inside, which can cause a catastrophic failure. During lift-off, the exhaust plume from the engines generates a considerable amount of noise, which induces high vibration loads – and happens to be quite complex and difficult to characterize. Because of this, it becomes essential for engineers to:
- calculate the exterior loads accurately
- run through the standard simulation process using VA One's industry-standard coupled BEM and SEA solutions
Simulating the exterior sound field during to a rocket launch using the VA One software
And, for a moment, let’s stop to think about these structures we are dealing with – structures that can reach up to 300 feet tall. In cases like these, everything becomes exacerbated, including the modeling of the structures. For many years, it was common practice for industry leaders to turn to deterministic methods for noise prediction. Because of the sheer size of these structures, this becomes impractical, as models become larger, working with them is more challenging, time-consuming and costly.
Today, another major challenge the space industry must contend with is exterior noise. Considering the noise is so loud – about 180 decibels – that it can damage parts of the spacecraft itself, imagine the damage it could do to the structures and the people in the vicinity. Teams must be cognizant of the acoustics around the launch vehicle, for example in the control tower and the surrounding area and work to minimize the noise.
Which is the best simulation software for quick and accurate ray tracing analysis?
Ray tracing model of the launch vehicle and the launch pad with CAS and sensor locations
VA One’s Ray Tracing extension combined with its existing industry-standard vibroacoustic offering provides engineers an integrated, all-in-one vibroacoustic solution. Engineers can, with the full details of the launch pad, get an accurate load to place on the launch vehicle in order to calculate the structural qualification and dynamics. This ray-based technique provides a mesh and frequency-independent method and, subsequently, an efficient alternative for a quick and accurate solution. With ray tracing and its ability to push to high frequencies for a large model, one can survey and predict the noise around the entire launch pad area in addition to getting the acoustic levels on the fairing and the payload, which is critical to the space industry. This combined approach offers users a quick and accurate solution for predicting the acoustic environment in general as well as the dynamic response of the structure and interior cavities in the presence of large and complex shaped geometry.
How does ray tracing simulation work?
Engineers in the aerospace industry use ESI's software VA One to simulate stress and acoustic loads on the fairing, and to model liftoff environments for operator safety. During liftoff, the exhaust plume generates a considerable amount of noise that induces high vibroacoustic loading conditions, which are complex and difficult to characterize. VA One’s Ray Tracing module complements the existing FEM, BEM, and SEA capabilities of VA One so that users can investigate the specific requirements:
- Perform accurate full frequency analysis,
- Analyze complex scenes with large models at higher frequencies without incurring the large computational overhead,
- Easily predict noise around the launch pad area
Learn More About VA One for Your Next Space Acoustics Engineering Program
Here are more resources for space engineers seeking to improve their understanding of acoustic challenges and solutions:
With over four decades of legacy in space acoustics engineering, VA One has become the trusted solution for addressing the complex challenges in this field. Dive deeper into its rich history and proven expertise through our extensive publications, authored by leading experts such as Bryce.
Explore Bryce's publications on google scholar
Don’t miss our technical user webinar on structural integrity simulation and acoustic qualification of space hardware. Discover how VA One’s Ray Tracing module helps predict acoustic loads with precision, ensuring the safety and performance of launch vehicles and payloads.
Updated: 2/11/2025
Author
Dr. Bryce Gardner
VA One Product Owner
Dr. Bryce Gardner is VA One Product Owner at ESI Group working on the VA One simulation solution team. He has been solving structural acoustics problems for the past thirty-some years, both in the aerospace and automotive industries. He has a PhD from Purdue University and serves on the NASA Engineering & Safety Center Loads & Dynamics Technical Discipline Team.
Category: Aerospace
Tags: Aerospace, Ray Tracing