Acoustics, Experiments

comparison stairlift noise according to the NEN-EN-ISO 9614-2 norm.

Royal Otolift is a leading manufacturer of stairlifts. These stairlifts assist people with reduced mobility to avoid walking up- and down the stairs. In that way, stairlifts offer freedom and access to those with reduced mobility. Their stairlift design focusses on convenience and low-noises. To prove that Otolift stairlifts are indeed quiet, Otolift requested Demcon Multiphysics to compare the acoustics of their stairlifts with stairlifts produced by a number of competitors. We compared 5 stairlifts in a room with no background noise, anechoic room, which resulted in Royal Otolift to be significantly less noisy than its major competitors.

Quietly moving up and down

our approach.

All stairlifts were placed in the anechoic room, and tested for noise production. The stairlifts were performing a duty cycle, starting in the lowest position, moving upward. Once stopped at the top position, the stairlifts returned to the downward rest position. We used a manual scanning technique to measure the intensity of each surface. The overall sound power level is computed according to the NEN-EN-ISO 9614-2 norm. Additional videos made with a Sorama sound camera helped identifying the origin of the sound.

Demcon multiphysics.

Demcon multiphysics is an engineering agency with high-end expertise in the area of heat transfer, fluid dynamics, structural mechanics, acoustics, electromagnetism and nuclear physics. We support clients from a wide variety of market sectors and help them achieve their goals in research and development with deep physical insights.

We combine fundamental physical knowledge from an analytical approach with Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) simulations tools from ANSYS, MATHWORKS, COMSOL, STAR-CCM+ and FLUKA to setup, execute, analyze and evaluate numerical simulations. The use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Finite Element Analysis (FEM / FEA), Lumped Element Modelling (LEM), Computational Electromagnetics (CEM) and Monte Carlo simulations enables us to make a virtual prototype of your design. With these techniques we can simulate the fluid and gas flows, energy exchange, heat and mass transfer, stresses, strains and vibrations in structures and the interaction of electromagnetic fields with other physical aspects like heat generation. Simulation-driven product development increases the development efficiency and reduces the product development time. Our services can therefore fully support you in the designing phase, from idea up to prototype, from prototype to final design.

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