LVA
The Laboratory of Vibrations and Acoustics (LVA), related to the Department of Mechanical Engineering (EMC) of the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), aims to develop research in the area of vibrations and acoustics and to provide solutions to the most diverse problems faced in the area by the Brazilian industry. The LVA was created in the early 1980s with the objective of supporting the research line in acoustics and vibrations of the Postgraduate Program in Mechanical Engineering (POSMEC) at UFSC. This line of research sought to meet the growing demand for solutions to problems of noise and vibrations in machinery and equipment faced by the national industry.
At the beginning it was composed of professors trained outside country, especially at the University of Southampton – England, and the LVA soon became a national center of excellence in the field of acoustics and vibrations, establishing partnerships with some of the main national companies in various sectors, such as EMBRACO, EMBRAER, FIAT, GM, Ford, among others. In addition to the knowledge accomplished from these partnerships, the LVA was responsible for training specialized personnel, and many of the professionals from these companies who work in the field of vibrations and acoustics held a master’s or doctoral degree at LVA/POSMEC.
Initially focused on the study and solution of industrial noise problems, the LVA has greatly expanded its field over the years, developing research work in the area of noise control materials (poroelastic and viscoelastic materials), experimental methods analysis and diagnosis of vibro-acoustic problems (experimental modal analysis and beamforming), numerical techniques of vibro-acoustic simulation (FEM, BEM, SEA and FEM-SEA hybrid method), optimization methods applied to vibro-acoustic, aero-acoustic and, more recently, in the field of assistive technologies for hearing and voice production and underwater acoustics.
Besides undergraduate and graduate research and teaching activities, the LVA also offers services to society through consultancy services to companies or through specific or standardized experimental tests in the area of acoustics and vibrations.