PMA is specialized in research in noise and vibration. Research in this field was initiated in the late sixties, as an off-spring of instabilities in milling operations. Initial efforts focussed entirely on the development of generic experimental methods, with the birth of modal analysis and applications in the automotive and aeronautics sectors. The eighties are marked with the introduction of numerical techniques (finite elements and boundary elements) and combined numerical-experimental methods (FE model updating). In the nineties, the scope widened even further with the development of active control strategies to improve the vibro-acoustic behaviour of systems, together with the advent of mechatronics.

And still today, after more than 40 years, noise and vibration issues remain a major challenge, not only in the development of high-tech products, processes and systems, but also for the health of people and the well-being of society, for sustainable environment and energy supply, and for safe and comfortable mobility.

Industrial relevance and advanced applications have always been major drivers in our strategy. LMS International was established in 1979 as the first spin-off company of KU Leuven. With HQ in Leuven and a staff of 1200+ worldwide, it is now the global leader in dynamic testing and mechatronic simulation.

Another important element in our strategy is dissemination. Since 1975 we organise the yearly ISMA and ISAAC courses and the biennial ISMA conference on Noise & Vibration engineering, attracting more than 600 participants from industry and academia.

Role in MareWint

KU Leuven takes the lead in ESR 3: Simulation and experimental validation of drive train loads for offshore specific conditions / WP2, which starts at Month 6. One PhD student will work for 36 months under the supervision of Prof. Desmet at KU Leuven and ZF Wind Power Antwerpen.

Our main objectives are:

• Development of multi-body model including gears, bearings and bushings for the OWT drive-train,
• Validation against gearbox test rig,
• Resonance and excitation analysis for the full OWT model regarding the ability of the offshore conditions to excite resonances harmful for the drive train,
• Provision of experimental data from gearbox test rig