CONVURT Expands to Take on New Partner

CONVURT has been able to extend the scope of its work to more comprehensively include calculations of noise in properties. This will enable the computer model to give directly as output a prediction in dB(A) of the noise levels in a wide range of property types. The original project had not been able to achieve this partly due to funding limitations and partly to the expertise included in the participating partner group.

The extension has come about thanks to the participation of Budapest University where the necessary skills are available and to the increase in the support funding from the EU to cover this extra work package. The funding increase was provided under the EU programme for promoting inclusion of the Newly Associated States in European RTD projects by an enlargement of the 5th Framework funding arrangements to give direct financial grants to partners from such countries.

The existing CONVURT project aimed to develop a model to predict vibration, techniques and standards to control vibration, and engineering systems to reduce vibration. The project extension will produce a noise calculation module compatible with the planned vibration prediction model framework to yield noise levels in properties as the final output of the model prediction. It will also validate the performance of the module by measurements in real properties and to use those results to make improvements to the module formulation.

Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BUTE) is the largest university of technology in Hungary. This is the only academic institution which issues accredited degrees in electrical engineering and informatics, including technical acoustics as an essential discipline for telecommunications, mechanical engineering and environmental science. This university, and Department of Telecommunications in particular, has a long standing prominence and expertise in the field.

The BUTE Laboratory of Vibroacoustics was founded in 1999 and has seen a rapid expansion since then, both in terms of equipment, R&D projects and staff. Keeping in mind the current needs of quite a few newly emerged or revitalised industries and companies, the lab aims at serving as a cutting-edge research and educational centre in the field of noise and vibration control. The laboratory participates in a number of bilateral and EU projects, and has extended international relations throughout Europe. The team at BUTE will be led by Prof. Fülöp Augusztinovicz who has participated widely is similar studies.

June 13, 2002